If Today Was Your Last Day
by Nighthill
Summary: Death has set his hollow eyes on two young souls. He has little time left, while she might just have none. He's convinced his life has lost its meaning, and she desperately clings onto hers. Then she proposes: "Let's see whose comes first." This is a story of life and love.
1. If Today was Your Last Day

**Disclaimers: Seriously I don't see the point in writing these things. It's not like you'll get arrested for using characters you don't own in a fanfic and make them more popular, not that I know of. Say, can you get sued for shouting out_ I own FF8_ on April's Fool Day? Anyways, I'm not saying I own anything okay? This one will be the only disclaimer for the entire story so I'll just disclaim everything in this fic except for the storyline itself and some minor characters that may or may not even appear.  
><strong>

**Hm ... that's not really disclaiming anything now, is it?**

* * *

><p>Ahem, I've just changed the prologue so to clear up some confusing things, the new prologue takes place five years prior to the main story. I'll probably continue to alter the next few chapters, but nothing much so anyone who have read it can just ignore the changes.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue: If Today was Your Last Day<strong>

A quiet room surrounded by glass walls, the natural light from outside halfheartedly poured in as it was shamed by the bright lighting inside, there was no sound. A solitary young boy with dark-brown hair sat before the flashing monitor. His hand rested over the mouse, frozen. His chin was supported by his other hand, and half of his body weight was pressed at the glass desk.

It was several hours passed midnight, okay, so it was nearly dawn. He had pulled another one of his usual all-nighters again. A workaholic that he was, he needed to get his job done before he could allow himself to relax. But relaxation itself was a luxury. He knew that his work would never end as long as he was still the Vice-President, quite the heavy burden for a teenager like him. He was considered a genius in his field, the pride of his country. The people's faith was placed on him, and he always did his best to answer them. These passed few weeks, he had been working nonstop to prepare for the new development project for Esthar. Even if he refused to admit it, he cared deeply for the nation.

About fifteen minutes ago, despite how much he wanted to keep on working, his brain had stopped functioning. He couldn't seem to think straight at all. The blurry words on the paper in his hand were as easy to understand as a matrix. He had no choice but to look away and wiped a hand over his face, hoping it would help him refocus.

It had not.

He grumbled and dragged his straying eyes back to the computer screen. Through hazy vision, he could see that he had a new email, and although he wasn't sure what the subject was, he clicked on it anyway. What popped up was … an overly colorful advertisement with a title _What If Today Was Your Last Day?_. The following was a bunch of crap about how one shouldn't waste life and enjoy it to the fullest by … vacationing at the Eden Resort.

Had he just wasted his eyes' capability to read this Behemothshit? Such a trashy way of advertisement! Were they trying to curse people into an early grave? _'Wasted my time.' _The brunette tightened his jaw, scrolling over the email for more info on how to pinpoint the resort, just so that he could easily locate the place and have it shut down. He was nearing the end when his eyes caught the sentence _You never know what will happen tomorrow._

It got him thinking. True, he didn't know what would happen tomorrow. He understood he had to die at one point of his life, but if it was today … Well that would be quite disturbing. The thought of leaving all of his lifetime work to Hyne-knows-who and let them make a total disaster with it bothered him greatly. And also, he wouldn't be able to learn new things anymore. He liked learning new things, it made him feel capable. If today was his last day … he would spend his time learning more and more. He knew he had a lot to learn and one day would be too short, but he would still make the best of his time left.

But well, he didn't need to contemplate so hard about this. It wasn't like today was really his last day.

* * *

><p>It was a beautiful early morning in the land of Galbadia. Inside the mansion that was her home, on the balcony of her room, the young girl stretched her muscles satisfyingly, taking in a fresh breath of the new day. Her smooth black hair danced on the skin of her pale shoulder, under the warm sunlight. She opened her eyes again to see tall brick buildings and busy city street on the other side of the gate to the mansion.<p>

Okay, the air wasn't fresh, it was quite polluted in fact. From her room, there was hardly a tree in view. The teen just liked to let her imagination, or delusion, run wild sometimes. She was currently looking forward to her vacation to the countryside, destination still unknown. As long as it was away from noisy Deling, she was fine with it. She loved the nature and often fantasized about living in some remote place like Winhill, or Balamb. But if given the choice, she would probably go for the latter, as she had heard reception in old Winhill wasn't very good. Without means to keep in touch with her social life, she might as well become a hermit.

She got back inside her room and, after getting out of her sky-blue pajamas, took a swift shower. When she finally got out, she noticed the screen of her laptop flashing, informing her that her friend wanted to chat. The girl hung the white towel over her neck and threw herself at a pile of multiple beanbag chairs laid before the computer.

She supported her body with her elbows while her hands fluently entered the commands to view the chat screen. It took a bit for the window to load and the drops of water dripping from the tips of her hair had taken the chance to wet her keyboard. She puffed up her cheek in mock annoyance, and quickly used the towel to wipe the wipe the splayed drops away, then proceeded on drying her hair also. After she was done, she brought here gaze back to the screen to see large black, bold, capitalized letters _YA NEED TO SEE THIS, GIRL! _along with a link leading to some website

It was her hyper, cheery friend who she had just gotten to know this year. Being a curious girl, Rinoa clicked on the address to see … an advertisement. _'What?' _She raised one eyebrow questioningly. "What if today was your last day?" She mumbled out loud as she read. "The more you idle, the more time is lost … don't restraint yourself … Come to us at Eden Resort and we promise you _Eden _… Weird." The bottom line was _You never know what will happen tomorrow_. This was, by far, the worst advertisement she had ever read in her life.

And she decided to complain.

[Angel_Blue] what was that

[SDM_BoOYakA] did u lik the pic XD

[Angel_Blue] no that ad was terrible

[SDM_BoOYakA] what ad O_o

[SDM_BoOYakA] OMG wrong address. brb

It seemed the advertisement was not the topic of their conversation. Thank Hyne, had it been … she really didn't know how she would be able to hold up the talk without criticizing the thing. The way it was worded was just irritating for some reason she couldn't comprehend. But … If today was her last day … Of course she would eat a lot, play a lot, and laugh a lot. She would enjoy today to the fullest, because afterwards she wouldn't be able to anymore. _'That's kinda sad …'_

Oh well, she shouldn't worry herself about something like that too much. After all, it wasn't like today was her last day.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Rant: <strong>I know, I know, I should've made up my mind when I first posted this. Bad move on my part, seriously bad one. But I really think that the last version was awkward. I don't think I had any idea what I was writing back then. So ... yeah, people who will be reading this for the first time might be better off than the onse who have followed me from the start. Oops? Sorry, really. People who has been reading my work, Hyne bless you guys. :)


	2. Fall of a Lion

**Chapter I: Fall of a Lion**

The boisterous Deling city, capital of Galbadia continent, the most populated city in the whole country. It was known for its status as a financial, political, transportation and military center. The city of Esthar, a country by itself. Although with a low population, the country, which had long before hid itself from the outside world, exceeded the rest of the globe with the most advance technology possible. The two nations, or more specifically, the two cities, or even more specifically, Galbadians and Estharians had never been on the best of terms.

People of Esthar had been a closed-door community until its President decided to finally end that. The event had shocked the whole world, mostly because they were beginning to believe Esthar was a destroyed civilization, or worse, only a myth. After so many years staying oblivious to the outside world, Estharians were never affected by other culture, they remained with quite rigid principles. And they found the free-livers, that Galbadians were, obnoxious and indecent. The same went for the Galbadians, as free spirits, they couldn't stand the criticism and judgment of the Estharians. The latter made Galbadia seem inferior, and its people wouldn't sit back and take the demeaning evaluation.

It all happened when the first peace conference between the two countries took place six years ago. Inside the large assembly hall packed with residents from both nations, where the Presidents of Esthar and Galbadia were about to shake hands, every single conflict and discrimination came to surface one by one, making themselves known. The meeting was a completely disastrous failure and the peace treaty was left unsigned. A war almost broke out. Well, at least that was only on Galbadia's side. Civilians rebelled against General Caraway, who was responsible for proposing the peace treaty, especially in Deling because that was where the said man lived. As for Esthar, the people, having the disciplinal life they led and that they loved their President Laguna, had civilly asked to close their doors again. The President had no choice but to temporarily reapply the old policy. A period of true turbulence for both Esthar and Deling.

Three years later, it was then discovered that the very source of all conflicts was none other that the President of Galbadia himself, Vinzer Deling. The General had taken the problem into his hands and ended Vinzer's reign with a coup d'état. Another three years, the situation once seemed unfixable had calmed down a bit. One young boy who had been considered a child prodigy in his early years, Squall Leonhart, was out to right the things that went terribly wrong before. He was only twelve when his father, Laguna Loire came back with the bad news.

Now all grown up, equipped with significant skills and knowledge, he vowed to complete the peace that should have been. The lad loathed meaningless conflicts that would lead to meaningless war. After all, it was a meaningless war between Galbadia and Trabia that took his mother away from him at a young age. That hatred had fueled his determination, leading him to success on the recent conferences.

Everything was looking good, he had been gradually building the friendship and trust between the two countries, his method was staying flexible but stern at the same time. Upon seeing his subtle fierceness, fellow politicians had respectfully regarded him with the nickname Lion. A wistful lion, silently and discreetly watching its territory. You may cross the line, just don't cross the _real_ line and he would stay amiable. Thanks to his good looks, he quickly became a charismatic figure that represented the outstanding ability of the younger generations. He was almost an idol in the teenager's world, only that he had more influence than any pop star could have.

Although the Lion contradicted with his withdrawn and introvert nature, he was more of a lone wolf, Squall knew he had to keep up with the image if he wanted to see the day of true peace. Because, if anything went wrong _again_ and he failed to convince the rigid old politicians, it would be the new generation that takes over their positions. It wouldn't hurt to etch good impressions from the early days and have half of the population on his side.

Currently, Squall was sitting in his father's car, it seemed like his withdrawal state was in full power. He was on his way to the latest meeting concerning the relationship between Esthar and Galbadia. If this one came to a successful end then he would be one step closer to realizing his wish. In conclusion, a very important event. Yet, he was feeling horrible. This morning he had woken up with a terrible headache, or rather, it was the pain that woke him from his shallow slumber at his work desk. The headache hadn't subsided since and continued to ail him relentlessly. It only got worse by the minute.

Squall felt very confined, stuffy in his black vest and had to bent double, facing the car's carpeted floor. With elbows on his knees, he hugged his face, showing exhaustion. His lush head of dark-brown hair drooped uncharacteristically and few strands of his long bang hung down, swaying. He tried to stabilize his head, protecting it from the occasional jerks of the vehicle that showed no mercy to his aching brain. It wasn't his first time riding a car with wheels, it was just that he was more used to the hovering transportation back at home. Ones that didn't jerk from bumps on the roads.

Laguna, who was also in a similar outfit to Squall, sat across from the boy, pulling his long black hair into a neat ponytail. He watched as his son squirmed with discomfort. The middle-aged man had notice Squall hanging his head long before but had dismissed it as his son having his nervous introvert moments. Like the boy would ever be tense _and _show it, Laguna thought. Now, the man felt stupid for his negligence. It was so obvious that his child was unwell, there were an unfathomable amount of sweat on the boy's neck. Laguna was worried about the outcome of the forthcoming meeting, but more so, he was worried about his only son. He had been working too hard these recent months, piles of stress must have been squashing the poor boy.

"Squall," the blackman began and waited. He wanted to get the teenager's full attention. Squall realized that and, with a displeasing grunt, he lifted his head just slightly from the palms of his hand, only enough to meet his father's gaze. With every pump of the heart, his head throbbed in respond and he somehow found the emerald green of the man's irises annoying. It was unreasonable, he knew, but he didn't hide his annoyed look. Laguna took note of the seething irritation in the teen's stormy blue eyes, the diagonal scar across the bridge of the brunette's nose only added to his somehow hateful glare. The middle-aged man hesitated but continued anyway. "Are you okay? If you're not feeling well then you should," he halted, remembering his child never liked being boss around. "I mean, _could_ rest up and lea-"

"Shut up!" Squall growled at him. It was unknown to most but his fierceness originated from the short fused he had. He just hid his temper well to remain cool and composed to others. But his head was ringing as if he was whacked in the ears, all of the restraints he had had probably been flung out of his mind. "Laguna, I can't, mustn't and am not going to pull a no show. I will not leave things to you so don't suggest another word."

His father looked hurt, tears were collecting at the corners of his eyes and his lips were quivering. How much of a drama queen could his father be, Squall questioned. He knew the man was faking it, he had the ability to shed tears without meaning really meaning them. The lad wondered how the wrinkles etched on the older man's cheeks could portray so well their owner's childishness. But the sight still made Squall feel guilty. The brunette groaned, wiping his face and looked out of the tinted window.

"I'm not saying I don't trust your skills, it's just …" He paused, leaning back in his seat. It was hard to say anything when his father was looking at him expectantly. His headache suddenly worsened, so he gave up. "Whatever."

"Oh, come on, Squall!" Laguna whined, disappointed that he was only a step from pulling the boy out of his shell, even if just temporarily.

"Just shut up." Squall voice was very low, just not in a threatening way. Well, maybe he did try for the menacing tone but it came out as a pitiful whisper. He then tried to glare at the older man to make his point, that also failed miserably because he felt so lightheaded and could only manage a pathetic wry face. Laguna would have laughed if the circumstances hadn't been serious. He opened his mouth, about to say something when the car came to a stop.

Even when the driver had been careful to slow down before pulling in, not that the man knew Squall was ill, but the boy still couldn't help but grumble at the slightest of movement. Had the chauffeur stopped more recklessly, Squall might have just fire him for good. The door to his left clicked open as the said driver stood formally, nodding at him with a friendly smile. Because the brunette was in a very foul mood, everything was fretting him, and the smiling man was unknowingly poking fun at the grumpy lion.

Squall scowled at the driver, wiping the smile off the older man's face. Laguna, who was aware of the not-very-bright future of the poor chauffeur, quickly step outside, deliberately blocked his son's view of the man. He stood and waited for the irritated teen to get off the black vehicle.

As the President of Esthar, Laguna sometimes had to listen to Squall who was only Vice-President, because the boy was mostly bound to be right. Just not when his son was being stubborn. When the workaholic was stubborn, it meant he was wrong and being foolish. Still, Laguna had given up on persuading Squall this time, he knew that the boy wouldn't listen to him. Despite the lad's normal uncaring attitude, Squall would never push his responsibility onto another. The father now had resorted to plan B, which was ending the conference as quickly as possible. Then, he would do whatever it might take to drag Squall back home, lock him up if he must, just so that the work-obsessed boy can relax.

Squall was still very young for his current position. Even though Laguna felt guilty for pulling his son into the political world so soon, he must admit that he couldn't imagine anyone else more suitable than Squall. However, the first steps of peace, the hardest steps of their plan, had now been taken care of. Laguna was sure he and his most trusted advisor, Kiros, could take care of the rest without involving Squall. The teenager needed to act his age, go out and have fun, not mulling over the fate of a country.

The brunette got out of the car and the permanent frown on his face deepened. When he was still behind the soundproof glass, the noisy street of Deling was muffled. Not anymore. He was standing in front of the entrance of Galbadia, the largest hotel in Deling. It was smack dab in the center of the city, near the shopping mall, meaning crowded and very rowdy. The tired boy had to deal with the murmuring of the pedestrians, deafening honks, and even screeching wheel's tires. Air pollution was also a granted in Deling, it made Squall miss his economy-friendly home country greatly. He found himself subconsciously comparing the dull brick buildings of Deling to the glamorous glass skyscrapers in Esthar. Those thoughts were no good because he needed an unbiased set of mind to remain a neutral ambassador

In any case, his surrounding did not help his condition at all. As much as he had cursed the vehicle for all of its jerking, it now seemed like a safe haven for him. And that haven was rolling far away at the corner of the street. Ignoring his dizziness, Squall straightened his back and walked confidently through the wide glass door as an employee opened it for him. Laguna swiftly followed the brunette to the elevator which would take them up to the highest floor where the meeting would take place.

Unfortunately for Squall, he never stood well with Newton's second law inside an elevator. And for the time being, he had never loathed the law more. His stomach churned as it felt pulled down but suddenly shot upward when the machine came to a stop, his brain had a hard time adjust with the changing pressure. Squall hated gravity and its stupid increase/decrease of weight. The thick steel door slid open, revealing a carpeted hall with patterned chrome walls, and Squall thankfully walked into the space while concealing his relief. Not that he needed to, his headache was making his grimace a default.

This was the VIP floor. Inside the large room that greeted them were several sets of cream-colored sofas circling a small table decorated with a vase of exotic flowers. Squall was not into botany so he didn't care much, especially not right now. There were also large, framed pictures of various natural scenery hung around the room. On the other side of the roundish hall was an ornate wooden double-door that led to the conference room which was his destination, but it wasn't what he was looking for currently.

The brunette noticed his father's questioning gaze at his idleness but ignored it and kept on looking. The churning in his stomach hadn't stopped and his mouth was watering profusely. He quickly excused himself for a minute and strode into a corridor at the side of the room that would most likely bring him to the place he so much yearned for.

Out of his father sight and registering that no one was around, his hurried long steps became hastier and the lad broke into a run pass many doors. Near the end of the long corridor was a certain white sign which was calling him. He followed an arrow next to the black symbol indicating males, pushed open the door and dashed straight at the nearest porcelain basin.

Squall bent down to the arched surface just in time as a foul mixture shot out of his mouth. He coughed, barfed and puked as an awful tasted drenched his tongue. His stomach was rejecting every last bit of food it was digesting. The disgusting smell burst into his nostrils and his throat was forced to work up a few more retches even when his gaster had been emptied.

After a few minutes which felt like forever, Squall finally got better, only for a bit though. He spat out the last remnant of his juice and couldn't help his frown. Numerous beads of sweat rolled down from his forehead to his cheek, collecting at his chin before dripping down to the basin. His breathing was rag and his head still throbbed painfully. He pushed the faucet's handle to a side, letting the clean water wash away his mess. The sickly lad barely found the strength to lift his trembling hand to wipe his face with the cool water. He savored the feel of the refreshing liquid on his skin and inside his mouth, rinsing the nauseating and acrid taste from his tongue. Squall also sipped at the water, hoping it would calm his stomach in some way.

When the faucet had been turned off, he had both of his hands on the basin as he leaned his body weight onto it. The boy observed his image in the large mirror, he looked terrible. There were visible dark rings under his eyes, result of many sleepless nights, and his normally sharp gaze was bleary. His ruffled hair was wet, from either sweat or water. The smooth skin on his face seemed to have lost its color, even he had to admit he was very pale. The only thing unchanging thing was his scar, but it was a given that facial scars were almost unchangeable so no nevermind. Squall heaved a sigh and looked down at the now clean basin. _'There goes my breakfast.'_ He mused, trying to stay positive with the dull remark.

The brunette took some more time to sober up then reached for some paper folded neatly inside a basket to wipe his wet hands and face. He discarded the wrinkled up pieces of paper into the bin on his side and proceeded on fixing his hair to look more proper. Although his temples were still pulsing with the dull pain, it was a tad more bearable than before. Maybe the earlier outlet had numbed his senses. Anyway, agreeing that he was ready, he walked out of the restroom. Squall slightly shivered as his sweat-dampened vest came into contact with the chilly atmosphere outside the restroom, apparently there were multiple air conditioners in the hall. And considering it was mid summer in Deling, the machines were put to good use at maximum coldness.

Squall had one hand in his pocket and made sure that his steps were firm. As he entered his father's field of vision, he was bombarded with concerned inquiry that made him felt worse.

"Are you really okay?" Laguna brought his boy's face into his rough palms, forcing him to look up. "You're so pale. Look at you, you're like a walking dead. Hey, you'd be the handsomest dead ever walk the planet … but that still doesn't make this good. Son, you only look dead, you should really stop being stubborn before you really are dead. Your fans won't be happy, Esthar will probably blame your death on Galbadia, which isn't very nice, and that will so leave Ellone and me brokenhearted."

Squall's mind was not working right here, if it did, the older man would not have gotten away with the idiotic rambling. The brunette mumbled a language that even he himself could not comprehend to answer Laguna. Torpidly, but surely, the boy brushed his father's hands away. Squall turned to avoid the man's worried gaze and strode up to the double-door. After identifying themselves, the door was unlocked for them to step inside the conference room. The boy apologized for their lateness as he registered about a dozen of familiar Galbadians faces. They seated themselves in the remaining two black swivel chairs, joining the other politicians at the long discussion table. Thankfully, this conference was a private one. Had it been public, Squall would seriously doubt his ability to endure the prying queries of the press.

Today, he was the main character who would propose of activities that should be considered to strengthen the bond between Esthar and Galbadia. Also, he had to emphasize once again, like he had done many times at the previous assemblies, about Esthar's culture to ensure the stone-faced old men's understanding. Because, after all, they would be the ones to relay the message to their people. With Laguna's help, Squall found himself heated with motivation in his speech. He was able to disregard his handicapped condition and deliver Estharians' wish without fail. The conference ended with hearty approvals from the listeners. He was now one step closer to his goal.

General Fury Caraway, the man who held the most influence in Galbadia, had expressed his gratitude for the efforts that were made for peace. He looked more like a parental figure compared to the lad's childish father. His short hair, touched with grey, was combed backwards. It gave a feeling of eldership. Caraway was forever in his military clothing, a typical general who always set out for his country's best interest. Squall hid it well but deep inside, he very much admired the older man. But it wasn't like the teenager didn't look up to his own father. Caraway and Laguna both inspired him, just in different ways.

Caraway had specially invited the two Estharians to dine at his mansion. As much as Squall wanted to accept the friendly offer, he never could. His headache unexpectedly worsened without so much as a warning, he couldn't cover up his grimace anymore. Squall tried his best to keep his back straight but all to no avail. His vision began swimming and he quickly lost his sense of balance to the continuous throbbing. He staggered despite the fact the he had been standing still all the time. The stubborn Lion fought the need to shut down his system, until the pain was too great. He had reached his endurance's peak, his knees finally gave in and dropped down on the floor.

Squall felt the soft carpet prevented his collision with the cold floor before his consciousness slipped away to escape the excruciating ailment. Luckily for the prideful teenager, most of the politicians were all gone. But the Lion was not so lucky. Apart from his father who was obviously there to witness his struggling, General Caraway was also in presence, watching the fall of the young Lion. The two men had hurriedly called for an ambulance. Squall Leonhart was going to be hospitalized and he never liked hospitals. It reminded him of death.

* * *

><p>Well, I'm writing this to make sure people don't get the wrong idea. This is not a political story and I'm not a political person at all. So if there is anything that didn't seem right or reasonable andor political-ish, please spare me. I'm sorry if anyone was bored out of their minds because of this chapter that seemed to have nothing to do with the summary and the prologue (but hey it did, there was the workaholic part and the sickly premonitions. It also has the words like ambassador and Squall Leonhart which by the way never came up in the prologue). I needed this chapter to portray Squall's life and emphasize his pride for the later chapters (which right now I had no idea of).

Anyways, I'm quite pleased with this chapter, it took my imagination to a slightly higher level I guess. Please R&R. (Say, how do people know which R is which? Just wondering.)


	3. Hospitalized

**Chapter II: Hospitalized**

It was nightfall in Deling. The serene moon glowed brightly in the contrasting black sky, baring its dominant light over the darkness. However, that natural beauty was completely disregarded by the bustling city beneath. It was time the true face of the city came out, they need not old Luna up there. Artificial illuminations were flashing lavishly on nearly every inch of the city. Streetlamps had all been lit, shining upon the asphalted roads which spread through out Deling's domain. Multistory structures were never without light-filled glasses windows. Shops, restaurants, hotels, casinos adorned with eye-catching signs and LED billboards. The center was packed with people enjoying the nightly laser show, beams of light with more colors than a rainbow could ever have shot straight into the sky, forming various shapes to entertain the cheering spectators. The nearby shopping mall, despite how crowded it had been in the morning, was cramming more and more vendees by the minutes.

While pedestrians seized the rights to the finely paved sidewalks, queues of cars and motorcycles ruled the streets and boulevards. The magnificently decorated streets surround Deling's pride, the grand clock tower, were off-limits for any form of vehicles so that a parade can flood the wide roadbeds. The desperate vehicles had to make use of any route possible to get to their destinations, flashes from headlights glided on the black tar as wheels rolled ceaselessly. The nightlife continued boisterously, oblivious to a certain white van that was speeding at an illegal velocity. People imbrued themselves in celebrating activities, only until the van almost slammed into them that some began to take notice of it.

The said transportation defied every traffic regulation, worming into any lane it pleased, ignoring stoplights, even climbing onto the pavements if needed be. The van would have probably driven right through the sea of people circling the clock tower also, if its gateway wasn't blocked up by a line of fences. Aside from the gleaming light-yellow headlights, the vehicle also flared with red and blue, along with ear-deafening howls. The activities it disrupted were many, people just let it go, some may curse but none would even think of stopping that van.

"Oh my Hyne, she's turning blue! Do something!" Inside the van, an old woman exclaimed in hysterics. She had long grey hair which was pulled into a neat bun at the back of her head, many wrinkles etched her skins that showed her age. Her outfit was a black dress with a white apron worn over it. The elderly woman, although weakened by her years of living, was showing much strength with her bony hands firm on a blond man who happened to stand near. The tall and sturdy built man was twice the size of the old woman. He only wore normal clothing but was obviously the one who held authority inside the ambulance. He was upset as well, the old woman was brushed aside without so much as a glance. All of his attention was focused on the dying patient's condition.

"Cyanosis!" A middle-aged woman in white said loudly. She was standing over a raven-haired girl lying supine with her head slightly tipped back. A blower was shoved into the patient's throat along with several tracheal tubes.

"You kidding me? The fuck you been doing with those nebulizers!" The man stormed blusteringly, or more like, he vented his frustration out on the woman. Though she was obviously much older than her colleague was, she still felt intimidated. Maybe it was the violence in his emerald irises, or the long scar on his nose, that frightened her. The older woman took note of the sweats that drenched the man's forehead as he raised his hand to wipe them away. He proceeded on letting out a long sigh as he ran a hand through his short hair. It seemed even he was freaking out because the young patient's life was fading away quicker than he had anticipated.

The girl, who was still in pajamas, had her right nostril smeared with dry blood from a badly executed intubation, but that would be the least of her problem, if she was even conscious that is. There was no end to the van's continuous jerking. If it wasn't for the fact that she was tied to the stretcher, the young girl just might be rolling around like a ragged doll. With her torso stabilized, she lay with no movements, every muscle of her body was completely lax, devoid of life. The only sign to know that she was still there was her chest, rising and falling so quickly that it created an unmoving illusion.

"I don't get it. She's barely wheezing anymore! The inflammation is relapsing, _again_. Her body isn't receiving enough air." The female paramedic said, checking the patience's temperature and pulse. The woman was beginning to doubt the girl's chances of survival seeing as she hadn't been very responsive to the medicine since they departed for the hospital. Before loading her onto the van, they had made sure the girl was getting oxygen, which was now questionable since the patience's lungs didn't seem to be working at all. The woman, while continued to pump the blower periodically, turned to her coworker, asking. "You did displace her jaw properly, right?"

"Of course! How else would those tubes be in her throat now?" He snapped back. His pride as a highly skilled paramedic was slashed by the comment, and that only added to his annoyance. The blond said that, but himself was wondering if he had done something wrong and the medicine hadn't been reaching her lungs at all. He did realize that while talented, he had only been in this profession for so long. Upon that thought, he turned to prepare something in utmost haste when the old maid grabbed him again. She shook him, panic had overcome all of her reasons.

"Are we there yet? She cannot die!" The old woman shrieked, tears of worry streamed down her creased cheeks.

"For the last time, granny." He shouted angrily, yanking his arm away as he pulled out a syringe filled with a clear liquid. He flicked at the tube and pushed some of the medicine out, measuring the amount needed. His voice didn't lower even when his eyes was concentrating on the syringe. It had taken a lot out of his restraints to not let slip of a curse or two at the old maid. He may have sworn at his older subordinate before but he still had the decency to not do so with an elderly stranger. "We will be there when we are! Now, would you calm down and let us do our job? The last thing we need is an extra case of heart attack."

A whimper could be heard as the elder dropped down to her seat, quivering hands muffled her cries. What he had said might have knocked some sense back to her, or maybe she had lost any fiber of hope left, he didn't care. He injected the epinephrine into the girl's system, hoping it would help open her air passages. During his few years of work, he had never seen or heard of another case like this. Her lungs, ignoring the help of the bronchodilators provided, just refused to breathe and kept on collapsing on each other, blocking any means of respiration.

The girl herself was also strange, amazing actually. Despite her serious lack of color caused by limited flow of oxygen, she held on much longer than people would normally have. Today was one joyous day for the residents of Deling, hence the terrible traffic. It forced the ambulance to take the longer route to the hospital. It had been a miracle that the patient had not ceased her living, but how she remained was unbelievable. One minute, her heartbeats grew weaker and sparser. They would think they'd lost her only to realize the rhythm had picked up again. It was as if her heart sprang back to life. Considering his line of work, he had seen some miracles, but not anything quite like her.

Looking back to the devastated maid sobbing at the corner, he felt his heart roused with worry. Infectious insecurity was the last thing he needed. Who let that old woman on anyway? Oh, right, him. It was all such a rush that he just let the old woman come along on her first request. Some decision he had made. He turned to the withering girl, feeling a tiny hint of relief when he noticed her wheezing. Even if the patient was having a lot of difficulty, at least she was actually breathing. _'Damn, are we there yet? Fucking celebration.'_ He found himself asking the same question as the old woman.

Everyone in the van noticed a very faint stir coming from the motionless figure and all snapped their heads towards the girl's face. Her eyes were twitching! They didn't open but that gave more than enough signals for the paramedics to understand she was regaining her consciousness. Suddenly, he was almost flung forward as the ambulance pulled to an abrupt stop. They were there!

As if it had become mere reflex, the man kicked open the door and swiftly loaded the stretcher down. His actions was quick, fluent and, at the same time, very cautious. He wanted to make sure the patient had the least shock possible. The blond was somewhat expecting her to live, after all she had been on the verge of death for quite a few times already, and she had _stayed_ there. In any case, that was not a good reason to sit back and relax, they had to get her to the emergency room soon or Hyne knew what would happen. One moment, people could be laughing and the next, they die for stupid reasons like choking on food, such was life. He didn't know what would go wrong if the girl's treatment was stalled any longer, and wasn't very keen on finding out.

After literally bursting through the hospitals double-door, pushing the stretcher with him, the male paramedic let go as his other colleagues took over. He watched nurses rushed the young patient down the hallway to the emergency room, feeling that what he done wasn't enough.

"She will be okay, right?" A voice mumbled next to him. His eyes snapped to his left to see that the old maid had been standing next to him all along. Traces of dried tears were visible on her face as she looked at him, her eyes pleading for a reassuring comment.

"Yeah." He muttered, knowing nothing more to say.

* * *

><p>A hospital was a place for the sick be cured, for the wounded to be treated and even for the healthy to simply have their monthly check up. In the whole continent of Galbadia, if people wanted to entrust themselves to the best of the best, they would come to Field. Although a hospital, it was created by Garden, a mercenary force. However, they worked separately, there was hardly a chance for two complete opposite foundations to cooperate. Since Field was a part of Garden which had a neutral status, it was well received all over the world with no discrimination. With the most up-to-date equipment from modern Esthar, Field was bound to give its customers the service they wanted. That was why Laguna chose to admit Squall into Field.<p>

No offence to Galbadia, but he trusted his country's technology more, especially when it concerned his own son. Moreover, if worst to come and something went wrong with Squall's recovery, there could be no pointing finger. Laguna didn't want to think like that, it felt a bit pessimistic and calculating, but he needed to make sure that the delicate friendship between the two nations wouldn't be affected by this turn of events. Squall had worked so hard for it and got his own person hospitalized in the first place. If he was the very reason why his plan failed, the boy would surely torment himself with _should've-s _and _could've-s_ if he knew he was the very reason why his plan failed. And that, again, would raise conflicts which would then add to Squall's depression. A terrible spiral, and Laguna wouldn't let it happen.

After Squall had been admitted, the troubled parent had been pacing back and forth outside the room where his son resided deep in slumber. A large glass window separating the space between them, making his son feel so far away. Laguna knew that all he had to do was open the door and he'd be able to touch his boy, but he didn't. The idea now sounded so strange and awkward. He was wondering if he had been a proper fatherly figure to the matured boy. What kind of father let his kid work in the political world, anyway? The President suddenly felt a pang of shame. His mind then switched to a distant memory where he had tried to coo a ten years old Squall into his bear hug. Even at that young age, the boy had never failed to express his aloofness, rejecting the hug with all he'd got.

Laguna saw his own blurry face in the transparent glass, he was unknowingly smiling at the remembrance. A wry smile. The small happiness wasn't enough to erase the worries that was carving into his wrinkles. The happy-go-lucky person that he was, Laguna disliked drowning himself in heavy thinking, because when he did mull over things, it would be in times like this. He heaved a long sigh and fixed his gaze back to the figure lying not very peacefully inside.

Inside the dimly lit room, Squall lay asleep in hospital clothing. He looked slightly uncomfortable on the foreign bed. An array of thin tubes were thrust into his wrist, connecting his system to a pack of IV drip bags. The teenager was in a half-sitting, half-lying position so Laguna could observe his face. How was it that an eighteen years old boy could produce stressful scowls even in his sleep, he understood well but still questioned anyway. It pained him to see his own blood and flesh staying so still that he resembled a corpse. The man felt so powerless, just like the time he was informed of the tragic news about his beloved wife. What he wouldn't give to endure the hardships in Squall's stead.

"My good friend," a husky voice said to him. "You should take a rest."

It was General Caraway, in his hands were two cups fuming with a familiar fragrance of coffee. The man gave Laguna a slight smile as he offered the drink and Laguna thankfully accepted it. It had been a long day for the both of them. They hadn't even changed out of the clothes they wore for the meeting this morning. Laguna had it worse though, he hadn't touched any food since. The father was very hungry but he just couldn't stomach eating anything right now.

They turned to leave for the lobby as Fury had succeeded in persuading his friend into leaving the comatose boy be for the time being. After getting Squall to Field, the General had stayed to keep the nearly distraught father company. It had also been him who had taken care of the admitting procedures, Laguna was too occupied for anything at the time. The two men went way back, to the days when Laguna was a young soldier, so impulsive with a wanderer's mind. As the President of Esthar, he wouldn't deny his origin as a Galbadian working under army's order. There was nothing to hide. He was actually proud to have witness the better sides of both cultures.

The lobby was a wide room paved with large marble tiles. The cream-colored floor and walls were polished to such an extent that they could almost rival mirrors. Dark red lines of waiting chairs were faced with the receptionist, where few nurses were still working in their late night shifts. There were plants littered around the place, adding some greenery. Cylindrical lights hung down from the high glass ceiling supported by two large columns, glowing warmly. Somewhere in the room had hidden air conditioners that maintained a comfortable temperature for its occupants. From the welcoming lobby branched out many hallways which led people to different departments. Two middle-aged men walked out from one of the said hallways, exchanging small talks.

Laguna look at the watch on his wrist, it was passed midnight. And there was a celebrating event in Deling, no, in _Caraway_. Today, the city officially took its ruler's name. Therefore, he wasn't surprised by the deserted lobby. What amazed to him more was the hotel-like feel Galbadian Field had. The place looked nothing like a hospital, and he now expected other Fields to give off the same impression. It was Squall's suggestion that Esthar had funded Garden in establishing Fields. Funny how Laguna kept on forgetting he was a major shareholder of Field. In any case, he was pleased with what had become of his investment. _'Great, the President of Esthar himself didn't even know what had been done with his money.'_ Laguna chuckled at the thought. Up until now, he had never stepped inside a Field before, there was no need when he had Odine, the creator of all Esthar's technology, right next to him. He would've preferred to let the scientist be responsible for Squall if the old geezer wasn't half way around the globe.

In the middle of their conversation, Fury suddenly stopped as he caught sight of something. He quickly excused himself and then strode up to an old woman in black and white, sitting apathetically in a waiting chair. The elder stood up immediately as she saw the General, looking very flabbergasted and worried at the same time. Laguna watched as the two people spoke in a low tone. He couldn't quite make out what was being said even in the silent room. Bored, he sipped a bit of his coffee, letting it burn down his throat. Fury placed a hand on the old woman shoulder and gently urged her to sit down. After a slight nod, the General went back to his previous company. Although the grown man was keeping his cool exterior, Laguna could tell that he was torn with concern and what seemed to be anger.

"Fury," The President felt he had to ask, knowing that the other man would bury his feelings for as long as he could. It wasn't a very good trait and Laguna wondered if the man had been rubbing off on his son. "Is something wrong?"

Caraway pressed at his temple tiredly. He half wanted to let his friend know, half wanted to hide his problem. The news the old maid brought was very hard to take in, and he couldn't believe his ears at first. But no one would dare to joke about something like that, not to the General. Why was it? On the most successful day of his life, so many things went wrong. The Lion, who was an important part of their plan in achieving peace, had fallen into a coma. Losing Squall would probably deal a fatal blow to the plan in the future. And now … He didn't want to think about it. For the time being, the man had to be strong to ensure that everything would go smoothly.

* * *

><p>The blond paramedic was having trouble staying still in his office. His role for tonight was over, and he had received words that the young girl was alright, but he was still worried about her. No, he was not a big softy. He was not an idiot falling in love at first sight with a patient he'd just met. The fifteen minutes, which felt like forever, on the ambulance did not emotionally attached him to her. It would take more than that.<p>

He finally sat down and breathed out. The girl probably didn't even know him, why should he feel this way? Suddenly, an expected rapping of high heels on the hospital marble floor drifted to his ears. He knew just who it was. A familiar knock on the door and he clapped his hand, commanding the door to slide open and reveal a woman in white blouse . She was a beautiful blonde. Her flaxen hair was tied into a small tuft but the parted fringe was let loose to demonstrate its length. She had a slim curvy figure, enhanced with the height of her heels. Now that was something he'd happily fall in love at first sight with, the man didn't hide his whistle. Her fine face was adorned with a chiseled nose, full red lips and a pair of glasses that failed to hide her sharp blue gaze on him. The young woman stepped inside and crossed her arms at his gawking. She was about to say something but he beat her to it.

"Yes, the mysterious girl, _again_." He grimaced and flung one hand into the air to make his point. The man never really cared about people inside his ambulance, until he had finally realized that one same girl had been lying under his care thrice. He had then checked on her records to find out there was none, nothing was recorded about the young girl. The blond man had no idea how many times she had been hospitalized now, but this was her tenth shot in his ambulance.

"Oh," was all the blonde said while massaging the bridge of her nose. She wasn't very glad with the way her unasked question was answered. His tone told her he wanted explanations. "I'm not saying anything, Seifer." She then turned to leave when Seifer snapped his fingers and immediately, the door slid close right in front of her. She frowned, not annoyed but because she was tensed.

"Quistis, I think I deserve better." He said from behind her. "Don't think I have no suspicions towards your odd schedules after a certain girl got admitted. Mind telling me who she is? Also, how in this stupid hospital does she get admitted and discharged without so much as a file? Or did it just _slipped_ your mind to make a record of her for at least, what, ten times?"

Quistis ignored his sarcastic comment with a sigh, pushing at her glasses. She clapped her hands and the door slid open again. Now, all she needed to do was walk away and she could pretend he had never asked. Or she could tell him everything. Seifer didn't push her any further, instead he waited as the blonde pondered over her choices. Much to his liking, she stepped back inside the office and the automatic door closed itself, leaving them in a space of their own. Quistis settled herself in the seat on the other side of his desk and leaned over to him, her frown was replaced with a seductive smile. Well, she was only smiling in a friendly way, but his eyes had filtered and deceived him into thinking perverted things. His lips, unbeknownst to their owner, were curving upwards.

"Seifer," she whispered softly, making him nervous like a high school kid on his first date. Just one word and she had gotten all of his attention. Seifer leaned in also and his ears strained themselves, ready to catch any word that was going to float out of that tempting mouth. "Can you keep a secret?" He nodded dumbly, his body put on autopilot as his mind wandered to some enticing thoughts. Maybe Quistis was trying to bribe him. Hey, he liked the idea. She wasn't going to get away that easily, but Seifer wanted to see what the woman had to offer. Quistis pushed herself towards him slightly, craning her neck to reach his ear. Seifer grinned, he could feel her hot breath on his cheek as she hesitantly said. "Her name is Rinoa Heartilly. She told me to discard of information concerning her."

Seifer nearly fell off his desk. All of his romantic thoughts were flushed down the drain and reality hit him so hard it put a scowl on his face. It was right to say people in love were idiots, Seifer felt so much like a fool. Quistis was very uptight, she would never pull stunts like _Seifer, instead of my secret, how about getting to know me._ What was he expecting? Quistis noticed his change of expression and pulled back, looking slightly flustered like a child confessing her mistake to her parent. She tugged few locks of hair behind her ear and looked away, a habit she had when nervous. Seifer groaned and ran a hand through his hair, his habit when frustrated.

The ice queen of Galbadia's Field, that was the nickname bestowed on Quistis Trepe. But in reality, she was just too stupid to realize the lustful gazes from the fools around her. Unfortunately, Seifer was one of those fools. For a woman as sharp as her, how she could be this insensitive was beyond him. Moreover, she had always ignored his prying, why now did she choose to respond and give his lovesick mind the runaround. On the other hand, there was a Field rule that forbade discharging unstable patients until they have achieved a better health. And Quistis had done more than that. If anyone else found out about her _continuous_ violations, Quistis would probably be demoted, or even fired. Now, demotions he could take blissfully, because that would bring Quistis under his lever of authority, and he liked being the one with more power. But if she was to be fired, well, Seifer wouldn't want to risk that. He had not much of a choice.

"And you complied?" He played his part as a consultant since Quistis seemed she needed a place to vent. In a sense, he was very glad she had decided confided in him.

"I know it's not professional," she huffed. It was a bit childlike for her. The Quistis of Galbadia's Field was known to all as a cool-headed and composed doctor, with skills and grace to backup her standing. Only to Seifer would that Quistis reveal a slightly dependant side. Ah, the sweet advantage of being her childhood friend. "But she was crying so hard. It was heartbreaking. I've promised her to get her out of Field."

"Heartbreaking or not, it would be more so if she died, right?" Seifer wagged a finger at her. However, it wasn't like he didn't understand. He could picture the raven-haired girl tears stained face, _very _heartbreaking in fact. An emotional woman like Quistis would definitely give in.

Quistis opened her mouth to object but knew he was right so she stayed silence. She thought back to the first time meeting her young patient. Rinoa had completely disregarded her own condition and literally begged for freedom. An asthmatic case meant constant surveillance, the girl must not have liked that idea. After various checkups to make sure Rinoa was fine, Quistis had given her the promise. But afterwards, Rinoa kept on being admitted and the promise still stood so Quistis had to go against what needed to be done. She felt so torn.

"Quisty, unlike before, she almost died tonight. I think this is an alarm, a warning about her real condition." Seifer tapped at his glass desk, giving the woman a scolding look. Being lectured by someone younger made Quistis embarrassed, and that someone was, of all people, Seifer. Nevertheless, she understood her fault. "I trust that you will do the right thing this time." She nodded in acceptance.

"Good girl." He smirked as Quistis muttered her thanks to him. Placing both of his feet onto the desk, Seifer leaned back and arrogantly said. "Now, for my marvelous commitment tonight, you can go ahead and kiss my boots."

The blonde slapped his leg playfully and stood up. She walked around the desk, smiling genuinely. Seifer tensed at that, a part of him was afraid to have another hope shattered, so he tried not to be hopeful. Quistis got behind him, her slender fingers gently massaging his firm shoulders. Seifer swallowed hard, he was caught between instinct and reason. The disappointing event just now was the only thing that kept him from jumping her. "I will most definitely not kiss your dirty boots, Seifer dear. But …" Seifer literally stopped breathing as he felt the long tip of her hair brushed down his neck. Something soft slightly pressed at his cheek, leaving a moist feel after the brief touch. His brain completely shut down that one moment. He was stunned. When he had regained somewhat of himself, he was regretting not staying conscious enough to savor the fleeting kiss.

Quistis was already back on the other side of his desk and she had a triumphant look in her oceanic eyes. He could feel his face burning up, Seifer was blushing, and that didn't escape Quistis' keen gaze even when the man had tried to hide it. "Oh ho, Mr. Almasy. You're looking red there." Quistis said smugly, poking at Seifer. He didn't mind. Everything she had done had wiped his memory clean of his previous grudge, he was actually happy when being made fun of.

"And don't think I didn't notice." She suddenly added.

His head perked up at the sentence. Notice what? Did she discover his love for her? Seifer eyed his childhood friend, he was having mixed feelings about her possible knowledge of his secret. Quistis turned to leave, but paused in front of the door and sheepishly looked over her shoulder. She looked so damn adorable. Seifer heart got so loud it almost blocked out any other sounds. He relied on his firm desk to keep himself straight, awaiting certain words to be sounded.

"You like Rinoa, don't you?" His clueless friend remarked knowingly, to his dismay. Seifer had to fight an overflowing need to slam his head against the desk. Wishes were seldom answered, he realized. He had never felt this much disappointment in his life, not even the time when he had gotten his battle scar. Quistis should be sued for repeatedly crushing a young man's hope.

"Wow, I'm surprised, Seifer." Quistis looked on, amazed at whatever expression that was on his face. "I never thought you were the type to fall in love so easily. Go for it! You two look good together." She giggled as if she had found access to the ultimate gossip of the year. There was a clap that opened the door, and the blonde waved at him before leaving. Seifer was speechless, staring at the swaying figure as it strode away until the door closed. He snorted at the ridiculousness of the situation. His inner voice cried. _'Why? Oh Hyne, why did I fall for such a dense woman?'_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Okay...I never intended for this chapter to be this long. O_O I was somewhat reluctant to put this up. Didn't really know what to write or where should the story progress from Squall's hospitalization. Then I was searching for some ambulance stuff and the plot kinda moved itself from there. I should inform readers that this is NOT a medical story, and also again, NOT a political one. I'll try to keep everything as realistic and reasonable as possible but this is a fantasy world, still, so please expect the unexpected. I'm still young and ignorant so I don't specialize in anything. So if I ever get too deep into ANY major, there WILL be odd factors.

I have tortured myself with a rather fruitless two-days research for this chapter. I will try to avoid getting too deep into hospital stuff from now on...

**Seifer: Yeah right, you had 4 out of 7 Fated Children in a hospital and, while 2 of them don't seem to be getting discharged anytime soon, the other 2 are even doctors. They're stuck there. It's a given that there'll be even more delay for your $%&# research.**

Shut up, you should be glad I put up your little moment there with Quistis. Originally, she was suppose to leave right after getting the information from you.

**Seifer: Oh right. I haven't gotten to that yet. You made me a DOCTOR! I'm** **a fighter, a mercenary. I belong to Garden, not Field. I have a battle scar, I kick asses and I KILL. You made me look like some goodhearted**** bum trying to save some chick I didn't even know, and then you made me look like a fool. Have you no grasp of my character. And Quistis. She ain't like that. She's suppose to be the one lecturing me.  
><strong>

Hey, I think it was nice. The only reason you were a bastard in the game was because you were a capricious teenager. In my story, you're older, you're a man, obviously you have to tone down a little. And since there is no Ultimecia to control you, you can't be a psychotic romanticist going around killing people. Quistis is emotional, especially now that she's a doctor, not a SeeD. There ain't no killing here to freeze one's heart.

**Seifer: Fuck that.  
><strong>

Watch you mouth Almasy. You can throw curses all you like in the story but not at its author. Ah, but I suppose you can use $%&#. Also, I'll make sure you're labeled as a jerk, cad, and synonymic stuff when rubbing shoulders with Squall, happy?

**Seifer: *groans* Anyway, why am I older? Squall's frickin' 18.**

You just do.

**Seifer: Don't give me that.**

Fine, you can't have a high standing in Field if you're 18. It's ridiculous like that.

**Seifer: Just make me a genius**.

No, Squall's the genius here, you're just talented. One prodigy is already too idealistic for me. If you were also 18 then Quistis would be 19 and still is your superior, and that would make two more geniuses. Too many, so no. Anything else?

**Seifer: Alright then, Garden equals Field, so SeeD is now what, RooT? Ha ha, how creative.  
><strong>

-How did he know?- Another word from you and your love story is a no show, Almasy.

**S****eifer:...**

Okay, that shuts him up. Back to you. My little conversation just now should pretty much explain my setup in an interesting way. Now I know Quistis is in fact a genius in the game, but she'll only be talented here. Seifer's 23, btw.

The Field thingy was kinda random, I was stuck in thinking about the hospital name and my brainstorming led me to that idea.

Now, what else ... Right, I'm sure some people were surprised to see **Hospitalized** isn't focused on Squall's hospitalization but Rinoa's instead. And sorry if anyone was disappointed by the lack of appearance by the main couple here. But it couldn't be help. Both Squall and Rinoa were unconscious, there can't even be an encounter, much less moments. At the end, the story kinda deviates from the main couple but I was on a roll. Anyway, in this story, all standard couples apply so just take it as a starter.

Man, I'm ranting, sorry. And as I type this, I'm just making the chapter longer (a whooping 900+ letters was added). I should probably stop, most people don't read author's note anyway, especially when it's long. At least I don't usually do. Okay, that was not mockery and apologies to those who do read A/N. Great, I'm still not stopping.


	4. Strange Illness

Er ... I blame the exams! Sorry, that was uncalled for. I had n9neSTAR beta'd this, cheers to her! Now, enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter III: Strange Illness<strong>

Galbadia's Field greeted a new day. The sunlight gently leaked through a curtained windowsill, stabbing its vibrant rays across the darkness in the hospital room. A dreaded beeping could be heard, the mechanical noise was the only sound here. In the dim light, a bed could be made out nearby the window. Its head was pushed against the wall.

One human figure laid in peaceful dormancy under the layer of white sheet, a young girl with black hair. Even after a significant amount of time, she had not stirred. Just like last night, she was so still it might have led people to mistake her for a corpse. But the one big difference that made her situation entirely better compared to before was the steady rising and falling of her curved chest. Breaths were made softly and soundly. It was obvious that her most critical state had long passed.

A small moan escaped her lips as she finally showed the slightest hint of movements. The young girl opened her eyes at last, and she felt terrible. Not only there was a foreign taste in her mouth that made her want to spit, her throat also felt very sore. She took in the sight around her. The room was modernly furnished in Galbadian style with a touch of Estharian glassy design. To her left was a large brown drape that stretched from the ceiling to the ground. Light was glistening out from behind it so she assumed there was a window. On her right was another similar bed to the one she was on, only there was no one occupying it. However, judging from the messy bed sheet, she must've had a roommate.

'_Great, I'm here again.'_ She thought, worries began to fill within her.

Rinoa Heartilly had been one very lively girl -well still was- but she had to tone it down a bit. The girl was just an average teenager, spending her time diligently studying, hanging out with friends, enjoying her every day. One year ago, on her seventeenth birthday, as if it was some cruel joke, she had been stricken with her first attack. At first, it had only been mild intermittent so she ignored it, thinking the strange feeling would go away. As much as it was unexpected, without medicines, the attack had only gotten worse as night came, and for the first time, she had known what breathlessness truly was. As Rinoa thought about that night, she was scared. If it wasn't for Helen, the old maid, who had discovered her lying limply in the corridor Rinoa, could have died. _Would _have died.

The young girl tiredly shifted her body, relieving some of her stiff muscles. She then lifted her right arm to inspect the thin tube that was taped to her wrist. Her eyes followed along the tube to its other end and spotted a transparent bag hung slightly over her head. Steroids again. She was getting sick of waking up in an unfamiliar-yet-familiar place. The strong scent of sterile tinged the room. With every intake of air, Rinoa noticed a prickling feel at her right nose and assumed she had bled there. How she hated all of these aftermaths. Rinoa sighed and pushed herself to a sitting position.

Considering the unbelievable number of times she had been hospitalized, Rinoa was glad she had not just pleaded for a discharge at her first admittance but also made Quistis promise. She knew of the affection the older woman had for her and got her way quite easily. It wasn't like she tricked Quistis or anything, the girl really did not want to stay confined, her tears then were real. Rinoa just wanted to be able to go outside freely to meet up with her friends since her small empty condo wasn't exactly a place for a cheery teen like her. Announcing her illness would be the last thing she did. Even if old Helen was there to take care of her, she couldn't compare a motherly figure to a friend. She needed peers.

During her chain of thoughts, Rinoa heard a sliding sound and turned towards it. The electric door had opened and standing in its empty frame was none other than Quistis. The girl smiled seeing the blonde hadn't notice she was awake. Her eyes were fixated on a black notebook she was holding. It was obvious Quistis had taken over her like she had promised; this secret sickness was in safe hands. Rinoa couldn't quite make out her friend's face, but she hoped there wasn't a frown. She knew she was putting Quistis' job on the line when requesting the unthinkable, and she felt thankful yet guilty about it.

Quistis quickly finished writing something on the pad and it was then that she noticed the only occupant inside the room. In the slight darkness, she could see the young girl flashing a grin at her, and she felt a pang of inexplicable shame. The blonde didn't like to be the bearer of bad news, but the girl had to know at one point. Quistis breathed deeply as though she getting an asthma attack and walked to the window, pulling the curtain open so that the meek sunlight could now flood the whole room. She turned to Rinoa and saw the crease between the young girl's brows. It didn't take long for her eyes to get used to the brightness and her smile quickly returned. Quistis found herself returning that smile. One thing she knew for sure about Rinoa was that her happy attitude was very contagious.

"Hey Quisty," Rinoa military-saluted her, ignoring her sore throat. "Sorry for the trouble again. I swear I'll be more careful next time." She said that but even she had no idea what she had done wrong. Rinoa had followed instructions given to her. There was steering clear of heavily polluted places, which was somewhat hard in this city but she had managed somehow. No excessive exercises, which she happily complied since she wasn't a fan of working out. No pets, which made her cry for a whole day because she had had to part with poor Angelo. She missed her loyal dog and didn't want the sweetheart to be in another's hands. And even after that heartbreaking separation, she still got attacks as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Hello to you, too," Quistis nodded, she was reluctant to break the news to the young patient. "You look much better than the last time I saw you."

Rinoa giggled, finding the comment funny. It wasn't as simple as a mere jest; Quistis had seriously thought the girl was a reincarnation of Shiva when she was pushed out of the emergency room. Even when she'd heard Seifer's descriptions beforehand, a ghastly blue Rinoa still shocked Quistis to no end. She had no idea the girl's condition could get that bad. Even if it meant disregarding the girl's feelings, she'd do what was best for Rinoa.

"When am I getting out, then?" Rinoa asked, completely clueless of what was to come. That made Quistis cringe, she hadn't expected Rinoa to be so straight to the point.

"Uh, Rinoa …" Quistis mulled over the words she should use.

"What's wrong?" Rinoa became worried. It was as if the girl had felt something was wrong. Quistis had a hard time facing the pleading eyes that her young friend had placed on her. She could see dominating anxiousness whirling in the brownish orbs; they were already begging her even when their owner had no intention to, _yet_. The blonde lowered her gaze down to the notepad in her hand and tucked a lock of her loose fringe behind her hear.

"Quistis?" Rinoa read the woman's behavior and got truly insecure. "You're not backing out on your promise … are you?"

"Rinoa," Quistis shook of her concerned face as she remembered her conversation with Seifer last night. It was for Rinoa, her patient, and her friend. She couldn't ignore this anymore. The young doctor stood straight and presented a stern professional face, one that she usually wore in front of others. She swiftly bit her lower lip before saying "I'm sorry. I've already had your form submitted."

"No!" Rinoa exclaimed almost immediately.

"Listen here, Rinoa. I-" The young blonde tried to speak, but her upset patient cut her off right away.

"You promised, Quisty. You promised that you wouldn't keep me here. You said it was fine, that I didn't need long term hospitalization!" The girl felt so betrayed, she had thought she could trust her friend with her story, thinking that she would understand. It seemed she didn't after all. Rinoa felt her emotions building up inside her chest. No, she wouldn't cry this time, once was enough. If Quistis had found no sympathy towards her situation then why should she try to convince the woman otherwise? She scrunched up the bed sheet under her palms as her breathing unconsciously quickened.

As a doctor, Quistis knew she had to stay strict with cases like this, but the patient just happened to be a girl that she loved like her own flesh and blood. The young woman stepped closer to Rinoa and was faced with her back. She understood that the girl was hurt, but she couldn't continue to turn a blind eye on this. She, and everyone who knew Rinoa, would be hurt ten folds if anything were to happen to the sweet girl. Quistis placed a hand on Rinoa's shoulder and it was quickly brushed off. She had taken note of the girl's excessive respiration and was frantically trying to search in her head for a way to calm her down.

"Please, don't get too emotional." Quistis put her notebook down and sat on the side of the bed, rubbing Rinoa's back gently. "You do know it's not good for you."

Rinoa knew that letting anger get the best of her could induce another attack, but she couldn't help how she felt. The girl currently wanted nothing more than to yank the stupid tube out of her wrist and run away as fast as she could. But that was just a rebellious thought that she was smart enough not to realize, it would do her illness no good and would also obliterate any chance she had left to get out of this. With a sigh, Rinoa wiped her face and turned to Quistis again. The blonde could feel her professional mask cracking as she looked at the young girl's glazed eyes. However, this time, her decision was clear.

"Please, I don't want to stay." Rinoa pleaded weakly. "I'd rather die than be locked up here."

"I'm not locking you up, Rinoa." Quistis frowned at the idea. "I just want you to stay ..."

"It's the same thing." The girl argued.

"Rinoa, listen to me first, okay?" Quistis sighed softly, and Rinoa, after much thinking, nodded. "What I'm going to say doesn't change the fact that I want you to stay in Field." Rinoa slightly tilted her head, she didn't quite understand what her older friend was getting at but an emotional lump had clogged up her throat so she stayed silent. Quistis really did go back on her promise and had her admitted. "Look, even if I didn't have you recorded, you still can't hide it this time."

"Why?" Why was Quistis beating around the bush, Rinoa didn't know. But when the blonde beat around the bush, it meant her true objective wasn't a nice one. Quistis paused for a bit and grabbed her notepad, surfing through some pages until she found the part she needed. She took a good look at something in there and sighed heavily. Rinoa noticed the young doctor adjusted her glasses and licked her lips; those were not good signs at all. Finally, Quistis turned to face the girl and stated with a displeased expression.

"Rinoa, you never told me, you're … the General Caraway's _daughter_."

"How …?" The black-haired girl gasped. It was something she hid so well for so long, how on earth did Quistis find out? Rinoa sensed an accusing gaze from the older woman, and she felt guilty all over again. But she had a very good reason for her secret. The only daughter of the country's ruler, if she was known with that title plastered all over her, then what? She may have seen one too many dramas about high profile children, but thanks to those, she had quite a good grasp of how her life would've turned out. Being in the limelight wasn't something a girl like her needed, and her daddy had also agreed to that. In any case, she was worried that she had hurt Quistis. _'Is this why you broke your promise?'_ Rinoa mentally laughed at herself for even thinking such an outrageous thing. Quistis wasn't that kind of bitter woman, the reasoning was stupid.

"No- I mean, yes." Rinoa stuttered. "I am his daughter. Hyne, Quisty. It's not like I don't trust you. It just never came up and … please don't give me that look."

"It's alright, Rinoa." Quistis assured the girl, fixing whatever _look _that was on her face. There was no need to upset the young patient any more than this. She could work things out later when Rinoa had accepted her own situation. "It was a bit shocking to find out, but don't worry about it. I had some time to let it sink in."

"Okay …" Rinoa breathed out, feeling a tiny bit of relief that there was one thing she didn't have to hide from Quistis anymore. Wait, something didn't make sense, she didn't get why her being her daddy's daughter had anything to do with her illness. Then, it dawned on her. "Oh no, no. Quistis, don't tell me …"

"Earlier this morning," Quistis wryly said, heaving another sigh. "I was confronted with your father, the General, about you. Hyne, I can't believe you would even hide this from your family, Rinoa."

'_He knows.'_ The girl cowered with fear. She was in so much trouble now. The only reason she was able to keep her illness away from her daddy was because he was never home. On the night she had first collapsed, he was away in Esthar to establish something, she didn't know and didn't care. After everything was over, she had asked Helen to not inform him of her hospitalization and moved out of the mansion, into her current condo to lessen the likelihood of her dad finding out. _'How did he gain knowledge of this? Helen didn't just tell him, did she?'_

Rinoa let out a frustrated breath that threatened to squeeze some tears out of her. Both of her hands consciously shot up to cover her watery eyes. Quistis noticed her young friend's fear. She didn't know why, but decided that she knew too little about this father-child relationship to actually say anything. She felt motivated to leave, this conversation was drawing more out of her than she had anticipated, and prolonging it would help neither of them. Before she could do so, a hand had flown out to grab hers.

"Is he here?" The girl asked as if reading Quistis' mind.

"He … is just outside. I told him to wait until I've checked up on you." Quistis took her notepad and proceeded on standing up. She made sure to reassure Rinoa with a warm smile, but her voice still held a note of authority to it. "I'm going to get him. You have to have a talk with him, understand?" She waited for a nod from the young girl. Rinoa just snorted with mockery. It had been _some _while since they last had a decent conversation. She loved her dad, sure, but it was somehow very awkward every time they met. The distance created by weeks and months apart was not easy to overcome, and swift companies her dad had to offer from time to time cannot be considered compensations.

"Quistis, can you stay here with me?" Rinoa pulled at her friend's blouse. "I'm … not really comfortable with being alone with him."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Quistis mused out loud, remembering her brief but intense exchange of words with the General. Clearly the man was not very pleased of what little news he'd acquired. She could see that he was a ruler for a reason. The General was very straight to the point and didn't tolerate long winded double-talking. Sadly, that was exactly what she had done. Let's just say if words could kill, then Quistis wouldn't have survived. At that time she was still reluctant to submit Rinoa's form, and partly she was shocked to face _the _General Caraway. Had she not have her confidence and charisma built up after all the years of experience, the conversation might've very well been called an interrogation. A peaceful life as a doctor for Field never prepared her to be pitched against military figures, she almost regretted not entering Garden instead. Being a mercenary would at least harden her mentally for these kinds of situations.

"On the contrary, I insist that you stay, ." A low, husky voice took the two female by surprise. They both snapped in its direction to see a middle-age man in a dark blue military suit with combed back graying hair. He was none other than the General himself. "Excuse me, I was getting impatient so I let myself in." He said solemnly, his hard eyes regarded Rinoa making her shrink back.

"Daddy …" Rinoa didn't have much to say, nothing to be exact, but she just had to make some kind of sound. Why she didn't know.

Fury momentarily fixed his gaze on the young girl but soon turned to Quistis. Although she noticed the deflated Rinoa beside her, she had more to worry about. She got the feeling that the General didn't like his first impression of her, a doctor who disclosed information on his sick daughter. It seemed she had a long way to go if she wanted to gain his trust now. The blonde sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time this morning and stood up straight, fixing her glasses.

"General," she nodded to let him know he had her full attention.

The middle-aged man walked into the room and let the door close itself. He looked so calm but the two women, especially Quistis, couldn't help watching the man cautiously as if he was a growing Bomb that was ready to explode. When he finally stopped to the right of Rinoa's bed, he had his hands behind his back in a posture of superiority. The uniform he was in, denied him of any paternal trait, leaving a cold leader on the surface.

No one said anything, leaving a dead silence drifting around the room. It felt like so long ago since they last talked face to face. Rinoa unconsciously held her breath as she saw her dad's eyes tracing along the tube from her wrist to the IV, and was startled when the man suddenly looked straight into her eyes. The girl immediately broke the swift eye-contact. Although it didn't last long, Rinoa had hoped to somehow discover what her dad was thinking. That didn't happen. He was very hard to read as always.

"Rinoa, do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?" The parent said with a tone imbued with disappointment. Rinoa hated it when he was like this; she felt so insignificance, as if she was nothing but a burden in his life. Why did he make everything sound so grave, what trouble? The one who was truly faced with difficulty here was Quistis, and she had never complained. What gave him the right to chide her like this?

'_That's it.'_ Rinoa thought.

"Quistis, do you mind leaving us alone, please?" The girl tried her hardest to keep her anger in check. She didn't want to sound bitter towards Quistis, but that was the politest request she could utter.

The young doctor was slightly surprised at her friend's contradicting demands, but she knew better than to question anything now. Obviously, there was something severely wrong with the relationship between the parent and child. Quistis nodded and turned to leave, only to be stopped by the General. "You don't have to listen to her," he stated hoarsely, making it clear that his words from before overruled anyone else's. "Stay."

'_What am I, a dog?'_ Quistis subtly snapped. She held out her chin in and made a beeline to the door, never hesitate to leave through it. As much as the General was used to having people following his every order, so was Quistis. It was very hard to gain authority over her and she didn't see herself listening to this man anytime soon. She had learnt from their first encounter, he would see that he wouldn't be pushing her around ever again.

Upon watching Quistis' retreating figure, Rinoa felt a need to take a stand for her. She could tell that the woman found no pleasure in being in the General's presence.

"Great job, _dad_," she piped. "Or should I call you General also? I'm sure Quistis enjoyed being treated like Angelo." Rinoa unknowingly, yet astoundingly, conveyed her friend's exact thought. In a way, she was silently insinuating her spite for the separation from her pet. Although the General had no part in that, she just felt like blaming him right now.

Fury, who was still slightly taken aback by Quistis' action, finally looked back to his child. Her words took time to register in his mind as he already had a lot in there. He couldn't describe what he was feeling. The man knew he was supposed to worry about Rinoa's condition, but he could only sense anger and even more of something else. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but the emotion gave him no comfort in this matter. Fury resumed his stern expression at Rinoa. "That is no way to talk to your father, Rinoa."

"Oops, excuse me," Rinoa gasped in mock ignorance. "I thought I was talking to the General."

The parent bit back his reply to her remark. He didn't come here to argue this childish topic with her. He came to do what any parent should be doing with a sickly daughter. Fury's frown deepened as he shook his head, trying to calm himself down. Things between him and Rinoa were so hard to comprehend. He knew that the awkwardness was caused by his lack of paternal affection, but every time he tried to display it to her, an argument always broke out. Hence, he chose to use his military leader mask to deal with the rebellious daughter, it was easier this way.

"Rinoa, we need to talk." Fury said through gritted teeth, but Rinoa was too busy keeping her breathing steady to notice that she was actually getting to him. She could feel it coming, the asthma, and she was trying hard to control it. Sometimes, she would be able to suppress the attacks, and this seemed to be one of those times. Rinoa took slow and deep breaths, before looking up to her dad, telling him she was listening with a hint of defiance. The General cleared his throat and asked almost too coolly. "How do you think I felt when I heard about your condition from someone else?"

'_Shocked, I guess.'_ Rinoa thought. When she imagined herself in his shoes, she had a general understanding of what her father must have felt. But a certain deprived emotion denied her of her sympathy for him. Instead, she opted to act out the role of a revolting child. "I'm guessing that someone was Helen." She whispered, mostly to herself.

"If I didn't happen to be here last night, then I doubt I would have ever found out about this."

'_Great Hyne, do you hate me or something? Everything was fine before, what whimsical force led him here anyway?'_ Rinoa rolled her eyes at that. She was going to have a _talk_ with the old woman, but it seemed what had happened was out of the maid's hands.

"How dare you hide this from me? Are you even listening to me?" The father fought to restraint his voice. They were in Field, at the recuperation wing to add, noises weren't exactly welcomed here. He scoffed almost smugly. "What makes you even think that you can hide this from me? I would eventually find out anyway." His words got her blinking. _'Whoa, contradicting much~'_

"Well, gee, I don't know. Maybe it's because of the fact that you stayed oblivious for a whole year?" Rinoa shot back with a _very_ quiet voice that somehow didn't fail to deliver her sarcasm. During her time with this illness, she had mastered the technique of using at least strength as possible when talking to an art. Rinoa never liked speaking so softly, it felt disadvantageous, but it helped whenever she sensed an attack coming up, and she thought that this pattern of speech might just wipe the smile off his face to her enjoyment.

"What! You hid this for a whole year?" His powerful voice shouted, making the raven-haired girl shrink back. She was confused momentarily as to why he was so furious. She was out to provoke him, but this was beyond her expectation. The General's mood changed so fast it reminded her of a Belhelmel. _'Very creative Rinoa. First a Bomb and now a Belhelmel. What's next? A Beserked Diablo?'_ The girl let slip of an untimely giggle and was rewarded with a loud and menacing "What was that?" from him, which wiped her clean of every humorous nerves she might have had. _'A Beserked Diablo it is.'_

"Yeah, but …" Rinoa mumbled with a slight fear of her father, losing any sarcasm that had been in her tone. "Didn't you already know that?"

"Actually …" A new yet old voice spoke up and both father and daughter turned to see Quistis standing in front of the doorframe. The young doctor had rushed inside upon hearing the booming voice of the General, she was afraid some kind of homicide might have taken place. Well, that was exaggerated but nonetheless, she believed she had walked in at a good time. "Rinoa, that was a bit of information I decided to keep him from for peace's sake. As far as he knows, or knew, this is your third."

What she said earned her a death glare from the fuming parent, but she didn't waver knowing that nothing relatively bad could happen to her. A headline saying _'Ruler attacked Curer: Fury of a Father'_, no pun intended, wouldn't be very appealing for the man's career. The General wouldn't be able to cover it up since she had quite a high profile herself, Field wouldn't let the incident slide.

"What? Just great." Rinoa pouted and crossed her arms. "There goes my last card."

"Rinoa, you are not taking this seriously." Her dad said, wagging a finger at her. "This is not a game!"

"Maybe I want it to be!" The angry daughter snapped back a little bit too loudly and was struck with a coughing fit. It got the General by surprise. This was the first time he saw his daughter's illness in action, even if it didn't seem like something serious, he was still at loss of what to do. The next thing he knew, Quistis was already beside his child rubbing her back, muttering some directions to the girl. Fury didn't want to admit it, but he now held a little more respect and even envy for the young doctor. She knew what was best for Rinoa's sickness whereas he was clueless. Then, she was close to Rinoa, he could tell, and Rinoa actually listened to the woman.

When Rinoa had calmed down significantly, Quistis turned to face the now silent middle-age man. "Although I agree with you to a point, I think we should drop this topic, General."

He just gave her a curt nod to signify his consent. Quistis fixed her glasses habitually and straighten her stance, feeling slightly uncomfortable with what she had been meaning to discuss with Rinoa. She started looking through her pad for the information she had withheld from the database up until now. For some reason, the atmosphere in the room got very quiet, and the only genuine noise coming from her made Quistis tense. She could feel the father and daughter's gazes placed on her, as if already expecting her to inform them of something. The blonde finally found it, her own notes of Rinoa's condition from the first checkup.

"I have some … records on you Rinoa, I don't know what to make of them," Quistis said in a sigh, taking out the few pages clipped inside the black notepad.

The General and Rinoa stared at the young doctor's serious expression and unconsciously turned to look at each other as if to search for assurance. Fury was quite surprised that his daughter had taken the initiative to meet eyes with him but Rinoa instantly snapped her gaze elsewhere. Rinoa didn't realize it, but her action hurt him. He shook his head and masked his face before going back to Quistis.

"You remember the examination I put you through the first time?" She directed the question to Rinoa, who nodded with uncertainty.

"Yeah, you said it was necessary if I wanted to discharge myself, to keep track of my condition, right?"

"Right," Quistis continued. "So …"

"You let her leave even with the results you got from that checkup?" Fury asked disbelievingly, with anger in his voice. "She's an unstable asthmatic patient, for Hyne's sake! How could there ever be a doctor as irresponsible as you? I would have expected Field to have more ..."

"No, no. For _my_ sake, cut it out, _dad_." Rinoa interrupted him, keeping her tone all time low with a strong stress at the last part. She knew it irked him whenever she addressed him sardonically. "Quisty's trying to say something. I'm sure she'd already got an earful from you earlier, just let her finish."

The man sucked in a breath, about to say something but in the end decided otherwise. He suspected his daughter would have fought tooth and nail with him about this topic if needed be, and this was neither the time nor the place. Even he wanted to know what the female doctor had to say, so he should just ignore his dissatisfaction, _for now_. As for Quistis, she was genuinely disturbed by the father's accusation. She had been very irresponsible, hadn't she? The woman silently thanked Rinoa for stepping in, but felt slightly hollow for not being able to defend herself. Regardless, she proceeded with her speech.

"Now, to answer your question, General," Quistis held out a sheet of medical record for Fury to see. The paper had a lot of printed information on it, with an addition of handwritten notes. At the top of the file was a name he knew very well, Rinoa Heartilly. The father took it and read as his eyes widened. "What the … but you said …" Though he was filled with suspicions, he could feel a large weight was lifted from him.

"The result was _exactly_ the reason why I let her leave." Quistis confessed truthfully, distracting Fury from the form in his hand for just a moment, but that was more than enough for Rinoa to snatch the paper from him. She was confused but also annoyed because her dad got to know something about her before she did.

The curious teenager squinted her eyes to surf through some very complicated analyzes about her, other than her own name; it was safe to bet she didn't understand a word the record offered. That however, didn't stop her from reading to the final diagnosis, which was _astoundingly_ simple and easy to comprehend. Rinoa, like her daddy had, found herself staring, with mouth slightly agape, at the two syllable word: _Healthy_.

"Hey, I'm, um … healthy …?" She barely spelled out. The girl couldn't help but feel that something was amiss as the word rolled out of her tongue. _Healthy_ wasn't exactly a fitting label for an asthmatic patient such as her. Rinoa looked at Quistis and her dad for confirmation that she didn't misread anything. She noticed the date at a corner and quickly corrected herself. "I mean, I _was_ healthy."

"No, you still are." The young doctor said while looking at the most recent data she had collected from Rinoa last night. This new result also showed that the girl was normal. As Quistis drifted into her deep thoughts, the room went silent again. The father and daughter were still bewildered by this queer news. Fury scratched his chin listlessly, unknowingly dropped his military stance, and Rinoa observed her medical record again. Her eyes found sudden interest in the word, watching it intently as if expecting it to morph into _Asthma _or _Lungs cancer_ etc…It never did. Rinoa then looked at the thin tube on her wrist, seriously wondering about her own presence here at Field.

"So, basically," a smile was tugging at her triumphant lips. Rinoa felt like she could hop through the window, but refrained from doing so, as she exclaimed happily. "I'm fine! I don't need hospitalization."

"No, the result must be wrong." The General refused to let himself indulge in relief that his daughter didn't have any illness, that she was healthy. Secretly, he prayed that the doctor would say something that would prove him wrong. "If you are fine then how would you explain your symptoms up to now? And Dr. Trepe, you should know better than to believe in a possibly faulty machine."

Rinoa was about to retort but Quistis had beaten her to it. The young doctor was very angry from his constant questioning about her capability. Not to mention that the parent had been acting as if she was trying to kill his daughter or something.

"General, I don't expect an outsider to be an expert about our facilities," Quistis barely kept her temper in check as she took out two more forms that were very similar to the one in Rinoa's hand and placed them on the bed a bit forcefully. The girl looked at the identical records in front of her and frowned, but said nothing. "But at least know that we have enough intelligence to run double checks. And I doubt machines can make the same mistake _thrice_, considering they are maintained _every day_."

Fury was taken aback by the calm doctor's sudden outburst, but he didn't falter and pursued the other topic. "So you're saying that she doesn't have any problem? At all? That she can …"

"Leave!" Rinoa cut in triumphantly, throwing her hands into the air merrily. "Yes!"

"No, Rinoa." Quistis turned to her young friend and shook her head. "Let's not make the same mistake I did. These results are now exactly why you have to stay under Field's surveillance."

"Huh? Why?" She demanded.

"Dr. Trepe, I'd like a proper explanation." The General said with folded arms, his confusion was in sync with his daughter's.

"Don't you get it? She is _healthy_ mechanically speaking, yet she had shown symptoms of _multiple _lung diseases." Quistis threw her hand in Rinoa's direction to emphasize her point. "That fact itself is a problem. We can't cure her if she is _healthy_, but then she is obviously not. She has _something_ and asthma attacks are just a part of it. We don't know what it is or when it will hit her again. I thought that it would eventually go away but it didn't. Rinoa, you know best, your attacks only get worse every time you come here. From what I've heard, your heart almost stopped beating _twice_, but somehow, you're still here. It's amazing, yes, a miracle even, but it is most definitely not a good sign. We can expect a lethal attack years from now, or it might just be days away, or it could be in the next few minutes, right in this room. In other words, it's completely unpredictable. There is _nothing_ that can be done to prevent it because it's just not there. Our best bet is to tackle it the moment it shows up, meaning you have to stay where we can get to you in time."

As she spoke, the severity of the young patient's condition came crashing down on her. Every suspicions and questions she had had before came pouring out. A lecture, a ramble from distress, call it what you like, Quistis just had to get everything across so that she could make these two see Rinoa's true condition. And also, she convinced herself that her sympathy had been given quite wrongly in Rinoa's case. She was at fault for letting everything become unfixable.

There was silence after the blonde had finished. Everyone inside the room remained quiet to let the words sink in. The General sank back a few steps, running a hand through his hair to wipe off a few drops of sweat. He never felt as overwhelmed as now. Rinoa, on the other hand, approached the news differently.

"Why should I stay if nothing can be done for me?" She inquired blankly, ensconcing herself. "I'm leaving."

"Rinoa, we can't do anything normally," Quistis rebuked subtly, restating what she had said. "But medicines have proven effective when your symptoms showed. You need to be near so that we can react fast enough to anything that could happen. Remember, your illness isn't just common asthma."

"… I'm leaving." The teen stubbornly insisted. Quistis opened her mouth but was cut off by General Caraway, who had snapped out of his reverie.

"No, young lady," Fury stated firmly. "You will stay right here, there will be close supervision twenty-four seven and don't even think of running away. Until you are cured, don't even walk out of this room."

"See, this is why I didn't tell you." Rinoa said with spite, gripping at the already crumpled bed sheet to muster up more power. She could feel the attack coming back but she ignored it. "You would just lock me up. And weren't you listening? I _cannot_ be cured. I will _never_ be out as far as I see it."

"Why can't you get it through your hard head that you will _die_." The father growled, regretting the words as he said them. He was just so mad at his daughter's disregard of her own life. He took a swift halt and continued hoarsely. "Do you want to die that much?"

Those words struck her harder than he would have known. She didn't want to die. She had so much to do, so much that she _wanted_ to do. Of course she was prone to say _I'd rather die-_ or something along that, but that was just exaggerated teenage speech. She never meant it. That much was obvious to anyone who might've heard her say. Why did daddy have to criticize her so harshly?

Seeing that Rinoa's defense was cracking, Fury pushed it even further. "No? I _guessed _so. Just stay obedient if you want to live longer. Don't make me have to tie you down because I will."

At this point, Rinoa breaths suddenly became ragged and shallow. She bent in half, clutching at her chest in hope that it would relieve her breathing somehow. Her brain instinctively blocked out everything around her to concentrate on respiring, but the more she tried the harder it was to do so. She could feel Quistis familiar hand grabbing her shoulder and a mask was shoved at the lower part of her face. She could here echoing voices telling her to breathe. She let a familiar medicinal smell cloud her mind. Rinoa had almost opted to lose her consciousness right there and escape the pain when she felt a rough hand placing over her small ones. She looked up to see her dad with a genuinely worried expression that the man rarely showed.

She realized he was saying something, but the girl was too unfocused to make out anything. Her ears strained themselves up to pick out any sound that might be coming from him, but he had stopped and she could only hear Quistis voice sending him away. Her dad looked hesitant at first but left in the end.

Rinoa slowly became aware of her surrounding again and found herself cradled in her friend's arms. Her nose was filled with a soothing smell that she sort of liked, but her heart hated. However, she realized that the mask had long been taken off her and was lying at a corner of the bed. The weak teenager gently pushed herself out of Quistis embrace and sat up straight. Looking straight into the blonde's relieved expression she felt even more indebted to her.

"Quisty, why didn't you tell me about those extra checkups?" The girl gestured to the sheets of paper lying on her lap, speaking quietly. "You said something about how costly they are. Why was I only charged for one time only? Money isn't a problem, you know." She immediately wanted to grab her words and shove them back into her mouth. She was afraid that her older friend would be hurt.

Quistis pondered over her reply for a bit, before smiling and stroke Rinoa's messy bang. "Exactly, money isn't a problem here."

The raven-haired teen lowered her head, feeling slightly embarrassed for using money as a mean to make up to the woman's sacrifice. But she couldn't think of any other way, she had burdened Quistis for a whole year with these complications. Rinoa wondered why she hadn't given up on her yet.

"Sorry, Quisty," Rinoa muttered tiredly as she turned to look out of the window, making it look like she was observing the scenery. But in truth, she couldn't see anything pass the sunlit balcony outside. "Can you leave me alone for a bit?"

The blonde doctor took a good look at her patient before nodding and complied with her wish. Rinoa didn't bother to follow the woman with her eyes, she just waited to hear a sliding sound of the door the second time to be sure that she was alone and shrunk into her own world. She thought about the year that had passed with her illness, which had never failed to make her life hell. Thinking about her relationships with others and how they would change after today delighted and depressed her in many ways. But it was clear that the depressing side of all this was dominating.

Did she have to leave her condo? She had grown quite attached to the place that she had designed herself. Now that it had been stated that she didn't have normal lung diseases, could she have Angelo back? She missed her baby greatly. What about her schooling, would that have to stop? As much as Rinoa, like any teenager, would squeal over the chance to take a break from her tiring school, the thought of not meeting her friends anymore made the idea seem a lot less appealing. Most of all, could she really die in the next few minutes? It was unlikely that she could die in such a short time. But there was a possibility, as low as chances could get, there was always a _possibility_ of it happening.

_'But, I am … healthy, right?'_

As she mused to herself, Rinoa lost track of time and space, and she never noticed a small sound emitting from behind her. Nor did she spare a thought about a sweet humming tone floating around the quiet room that she was supposedly alone in. Out of nowhere, a slender figure got between her and the beaming window. The sudden change of lighting made her have to squint to take a good look at the person in front of her.

"Hey there, so you're my roommate?" A melodic voice asked.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Rant:<strong> I was gonna have Squall enter the scene somewhere but never found the right moment to. So they won't meet just yet.

**Squall: -So I'm still in that bed? Great progress, Nighthill****.-**

Squall, even if you _think_ that, we can all read it you know.

**Squall: -Whatever, then I don't have to talk, good riddance.-**

**Rinoa: Excuse me, isn't this chapter _me_-centric? Why are you talking to Squall?**

Because he doesn't talk much, I'll have him here whenever possible.

**Rinoa: I disagree, he actually strung more than three words up there.**

No, that's him _thinking._

**Rinoa: Fine, it's not the point here****. I have a score to settle with yo****u. Who said I love Caraway? And why did you give away my Angelo? Give me back my baby!  
><strong>

... Er, you do love him. Just admit it. As for your dog, I'll squeeze her in somewhere. Problem solved.

**Rinoa: Hey, I ...  
><strong>

**Squall: Rinoa, just ignore her. She had me _respect_ Laguna, I haven't said anything**** about that.** **-Just le****t her be and she'll come up with some good moments for us.-**

Er ... I can't believe you've just thought that.

**Rinoa: Aw, we can have moments by ourselves, Squall. *pokes Squall's cheek. Squall blushes but hides it* We don't**** need her.**

Hey, you do know that it's me typing this, right?

**Squall & Rinoa: Whatever. *leaves, hand in hand***

So ... anyway. I just realized the fun in making stupid rambles like this, bare with me ... please? Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think.


	5. Confusing Symptoms

Okay, this took a while, but we all have real lives. I could put this up today is thanks to n9neSTAR.

I'm going into examination mode again after this so I won't make any progress with either Last Day or Spell. Let's hope this chapter is good enough for a while. Now, enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter IV: Confusing Symptoms<strong>

He was talking to General Caraway, with his father next to him. The stern military leader had a pleasant expression that displayed his satisfaction. A conference well done and peace is assured. Tonight would be a night of celebration. It was not in his character to feel flattered, but the congratulation from the General still left him with sense fulfillment. But something was keeping him from truly enjoy this feeling. It was there, nagging at him, and he couldn't ignore it even if he tried to.

'_It … hurts.'_

That was it. His head was throbbing and there was nothing he could do to ease the pain that was increasing every single second. Unbearable, it was too much. Why couldn't he do anything about it? When he thought it couldn't get any worse, the torturous ache grew yet again. At what seemed like the apex of it, his eyes snapped open and he shot up from his lying position. He brought his hands up and hugged his head as if it would help any. His eyes were kept shut and he unconsciously held his breath, fearing that any bit of movements would only make it worse. Slowly, the pain subsided into a dull gnawing, it still made him wince but was entirely better than before.

Squall never had time to let out a sigh of relief as his mouth started watering excessively. He was not off the hook just yet. The nausea in the pit of his stomach grew steadily, and his cultured instinct warned him that he could not go ahead and throw up just anywhere. The brunette literally ejected himself from the bed, pulling the IV drip stand along with him in the process.

Feeling something tugging at his wrist, Squall spun around to see what was hindering him and saw the stand, along with a bunch of ten or more bags of steroids, collapsing into a splashing mess that seriously made him panic, for he was a neat-freak and the idea of himself creating mishmash wasn't very appealing to him.

His head was suddenly clouded with dizziness due to his abrupt spin. He lost his balance for a moment and took a few steps back only to knock over something behind him and then trip over it. His hand reflexively shot out to grab at some random fabric, which turned out to be a curtain. Squall's weight was too much for it, so he ended up lying flat on his back with a large portion of the drape in hand while one of his legs was resting on some tipped over trolley. He heard many metallic clangs and turned his neck to see various medical tools were sprayed across the room.

He mentally slapped himself, opting to just stay still to prevent himself from bringing anymore chaos to the room. But a churn of his stomach reminded him that what he was about to produce might just be more disastrous, or more disgusting for that matter. He couldn't have that. Squall snapped out of his swift confusion, threw the piece of fabric away, yanked the array of tubes out, got up and ran, no, _stumbled _desperately towards the door that was facing his bed, all in three seconds flat. He kept his mouth tightly shut, sealing his lips as his throat constantly squeezed up an acid taste. The short time needed for the auto door to open felt like eternity, and the moment it did, Squall dashed through immediately.

Thank Hyne that the room behind the door was a toilet like he'd expected. Squall had never really appreciated a basin as much as now that he was once again faced with its arched surface. And he let loose of his nausea. However, there was nothing in his stomach. The only thing that climbed up his gullet was his own gastric juice, which was still a lot, but it didn't last very long. When his body felt that it was enough, he repeated the cleaning procedure he'd done before and rid himself of the sour taste on his tongue. He then got out of the toilet to … face with the mess he'd created. Squall groaned at the thought.

Leaving the toilet, he witnessed the state that the room was in. Now that he wasn't in such a rush anymore, he had time to take in everything, and everything was _not_ pretty. It was as if Pandemona had unleashed its wrath in this tiny room, and ironically enough, Squall _did _havethe GF junctioned. The bed he had been on was slightly, by that he meant very, tilted to a side. The white blanket was hanging down from the bed, there was some transparent fluid climbing up the sheet, soaking it. However, compared to the rest of the room, his bed might just be the luckiest victim.

Medical instruments were in a clutter on the floor. The fallen trolley had one of its edges slightly deformed, imprinted with a faint shape of five fingers and a palm. It may have looked like some cliché showcase of power like in the movies, which was simply ludicrous in Squall's opinion, he couldn't for the life of him find the handprint, _his_ handprint, funny. His strength had exceeded his needs, he really shouldn't have had Ultima junctioned.

He didn't even want to mention the tragic end of the curtain, with its rail dislocated and most of the brown drape lying pitifully under the window it was supposed to cover. At a corner was the IV stand, from the spot where it had been to where it was now drawn a string of empty steroids bags. As for the free liquid, it had already travelled nearly half of the floor, and still transgressing more and more ground every second. Looking at the glazed marble floor, anyone would have thought the room had water leakage problem. Squall could only stand dumbfounded at the sight, and that was a lie because he had quickly backed away when he noticed that the steroids was getting to his naked feet.

He tried to distract himself by taking in other things. It wasn't strange that only now did he wonder about where he actually was. Squall noticed from the window that it was daytime and then took note of the Estharian feel the room gave of. It reminded him of his home. What he wouldn't give to be there right now. Squall exhaled, already feeling tired just thinking about his future as an ambassador. Constant travelling between countries to keep things peaceful didn't seem very appealing to him, especially now that he was exhausted from the recent conferences.

Squall pushed the thoughts away and continued to look around. The room's appearance screamed Galbadia. The clothes he was wearing undoubtedly came from a hospital. Squall pieced together the data he'd gathered, a hospital with a mix of Estharian and Galbadian exterior, where else could this be? He had a part in funding the place, and even designing it, Galbadia's Field, the last place he would have expected himself to wake up in.

'_Why am I here?'_

Memory of yesterday, or at least he believed it was yesterday, rushed back to him. He remembered collapsing … in front of Galbadia's ruler. _'Just great. Quite the way to show my capability.'_ It wasn't a good idea to show weakness in the political world. And he wouldn't exactly be the epitome of reliability if he couldn't take care of his own person. Collapsing just proved that he didn't fare well with stress and pressures.

'_What was Laguna thinking bringing me here? If the press get to this then Hyne knows what would happen to the Lion's reputation. He should've just quietly bring me back to the hotel. Since when was lack of sleep a reason to have your son admitted? … How long have I been here?'_

The brunette turned back to the mess before him. Squall Leonhart may have not talked much but in return he thought a lot. And it was in these kinds of moments that his mind worked extra hard. _'Damn, I have to clean this up. There's nothing to dry the floor with. Provided that I walk through this … I could readjust the bed and pull the sheet up. Or I could use the sheet. It's already messed up as it is. The trolley should be fine … I'm not commenting on the curtain. The stand looks broken … is there a garbage bin around here? Footsteps!'_

He got a little hysteric, just a little, nothing he couldn't hide. But that didn't mean he wasn't bothered. He had an unusual urge to escape, but didn't need to debate since it was probably futile even if he did run away. This was _his_ room, anything that might happen would obviously be _his_ fault.

Still, to be so clumsy at his age, with his position, it was embarrassing to say the least. Squall suddenly realized that he might not be so different from Laguna after all. Of all the things to inherit from the man, he just had to choose the worst trait.

'_Whatever, why should I even care. I have a good reason for … this.' _He took another look at the room and his thoughts faltered. _Nothing_ was a good enough reason for him to create this mess. _'I could blame it on the …'_ A sudden nudge from within his muscles told him the GFs weren't very pleased with his idea. _'What **am** I doing, really.'_ He felt like a child trying to hide his wrong doing, all in vain.

The footsteps got louder and louder, and Squall was prepared to apologize and explain. But the rapid sound only became smaller. Through the glass window looking out to the hall, he could see a random person running pass his room. The man didn't even noticed the messy room as he rushed away. Squall could have kicked himself for being so jumpy. _'Why did I automatically assume that there was someone coming for me? I'm not the only patient here …'_

"Oh. My. Hyne." An unfamiliar voice said suddenly, catching him completely off guard. Squall's eyes snapped to the door to the left of his bed to see a tall young man, notepad in hand, staring at the mess. The guy brought one hand up to push away the bangs that were falling in front of his right eye. Turning to Squall, he gave a toothy grin that revealed _eight_ sharp canines that got the brunette blinking. "Someone's got a temper. Heh, and people say I have an attitude problem."

The brunette was genuinely surprised. _'Where the hell did this guy come from? How come I didn't notice …'_ Squall realized that the man was looking at him and hastily tried to mask his face. Too late, having seen Squall's perplexed expression, the guy's smirk widened annoyingly. "You look unprepared. Sorry, the name's Raze. I'm your doctor. And you are?"

'_**You're** my doctor?'_

Squall crossed his arms and answered him with silence. He was sizing up this _doctor_. The guy had black hair with dark-blue highlights. He was in a baggy pair of black trousers. His dark-blue sleeveless hoodie was only zipped up halfway and a wrinkled white shirt was peeking out from under it. His hair was still tousled even after he'd done running his hand through it. He looked even slouchier than Squall, who had just gotten out of bed to throw up. There wasn't even a white coat, a doctor's trademark, to salvage his image.

Although his body was quite well-built, a sleazy stance ruined it for him. His dark irises displayed an unruly and laidback attitude. Squall was no experts about judging people, but this Raze seemed too spontaneous to be a doctor. Another thing, suppose he was his doctor, why was the man asking for Squall's name?

"Hey, I know that look." Raze said, still baring his teeth for Squall to see. "Alright, I didn't have to ask, you're Squall Leonhart. Sheesh, I was just breaking the ice, and normal people would have just simply answered that. By the way, I know I'm no doctor material but it's a fact that I am a full-fledge therapist, deal with it. Like in your case, you don't look like the type to go thrashing about but apparently you did." He motioned to the _battlefield_ inside.

Squall inwardly cringed, the shameful feeling resurged inside him. His mind was conjuring up explanations when the so-called doctor continued.

"Well, don't worry, I'm just saying. I actually can imagine what happened." He was skimming through his black notepad, the disturbing grin never leaving his face. "Your colors haven't returned that much and your eyes are still a bit diluted. Let's see, here it is. Squall Leonhart, prone to nausea, with three junctioned GFs. Hmm, simple offense and status spells. Hey? Pain, Quake, Triple … even Flare? Er, Meteor … Ultima!" With an amazed expression, the guy looked up from his handbook, chuckling as he spoke. "Wow, some rare stockings you have here. Are you going to war or what?"

Squall narrowed his eyes at the doctor, his head bumping with pain. In less than one minute, the guy was in his to-avoid list. He was annoying, and Squall generally avoided annoying people, just because they were annoying.

"For starters, how are you, Squall?" The young doctor asked, readying his pen on the handbook.

"Leonhart." Squall corrected him curtly. He didn't remember being on first name basis with this guy. The teenager disliked having strangers call him by his name. It wasn't sacred or anything, he just wanted to prevent people from getting too comfortable around him. His fame as the Lion had already caused enough complexity, the last thing he needed was more meddling people in his life.

"Right, how are you feeling, _Mr. Leonhart_?" Raze complied rather easily, his grin still plastered all over. The brunette wondered slightly about this awkward situation. They were separated by a large _growing_ puddle of steroids, the distance between them was increasing as Squall periodically backed away from the transparent liquid, and they could still be playing twenty question. Where was the logic in this? Shouldn't they clean this mess up first?

'_I don't see why I should tell you. And would you stop grinning?'_ Squall didn't hesitate to roll his eyes, but other than that, he never intended to answer this _doctor_ with questionable credibility. Pursuing conversation with the older guy would only worsen his headache. Squall would give anything to be left alone right now, but that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon as the doctor continued.

"Do you mind taking your shirt off?"

'_Is this guy serious?'_ Squall almost did a double-take, but held back just in time and frowned instead. What did taking his shirt off have anything to do with how he felt? He was beginning to truly doubt the man's sanity. Maybe, just maybe, the guy was actually a mental patient who had missed his daily medication and escaped from surveillance. The random person who had run through the hall just now was probably an employee looking for this knucklehead and Squall was a miserable bystander who just happened to get caught in one of his impulsive antics. As for that notepad with accurate information of Squall's junctions, it must have been stolen.

Yes, that sounded plausible, more plausible than this guy being a doctor. No doctor would act like this, Field would probably have fired him by now. At least Squall trusted the Director to not hire potential lunatics.

"I'll take that as a yes. Fine, don't do that. Say, I want to know what really happened before I got here," Raze wrote something in his notepad before continuing. "Can you, like, replay it for me?"

"What!" The brunette growled, unamused. Could this conversation get any stupider? He didn't fund Field to house idiots like this.

"Okay, okay." The doctor raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "You seem fine."

"I am _not_ fine." Squall spelled out through gritted teeth, hoping the guy would get the clue. He wasn't in any condition to go along with this farce, that left him wondering why he even bothered to. The teenager took a few more steps back to avoid the liquid. Again, shouldn't they be doing something about the still spreading steroids on the floor or the soaking bed sheet for that matter?

"Good, good. You're not fine." Raze nodded contemplatively.

'… _How is that good?'_ Squall's frown only deepened at the doctor, and he decided to add a bit more information. "I feel kind of sluggish." Seeing that there was no respond, he felt compelled to input some more. "My head hurts … but bearable."

"That's it!" The older guy snapped his fingers triumphantly, putting his pen away and stuffed the black handbook into a hidden pocket inside his hoodie. Squall could only blink in surprise, not really understanding the situation. But then, he realized he didn't need to understand anything. Mental patients weren't suppose to make sense. Squall had already concluded that the guy was not right in the head.

"Now, was it that hard to just tell me how you feel?" The dark-haired doctor asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Squall blinked, then it dawned on him, and he was more than flustered. He'd slipped. And he didn't even realize it. He had been coaxed into sharing his condition. The brunette shook his head and wiped his face in defeat. His mistake had been underestimating this doctor. Never judge a book by its cover, and he sadly did. This had shattered any chances for the guy to be a mental patient, which Squall had _hoped _he was.

"Mr. Leonhart, don't go all quiet on me again." Raze said hastily. "I've already played my last card. Well, I'm sure I can draw out some more but let's not go there and waste each other's time. Okay?"

Squall let out a low grunt to notify his compliance. Although he didn't sit well with the idea, he was mature enough to not create anymore complications. He suddenly noticed the steroids and ventured further into the toilet to avoid the fluid. This action also brought him out of the doctor's field of vision.

"I'm glad we've come to some sort of compromise." The man said loudly, obviously bothered because he couldn't see his conversational objective. "Now, let's get you out of here."

Squall nodded wordlessly even when knowing that Raze couldn't see him. Then, he waited for someone, or something, to come and clean up the mess in front of him so that he could go somewhere else apart from this small toilet. Nothing happened. He was wondering if the doctor had left to call on some cleaner when he heard the sound of someone clearing his throat.

"Uh, Mr. Leonhart?" Raze's drawled voice said. "What I meant was that you can go ahead and walk out here _normally_. I noticed you've been avoiding the steroids. But, in all honesty, they're not sulphuric acid so they're not gonna melt your feet off or anything."

'_I **know**, smartass.'_ Squall mentally cursed the man for making him sound like some cowardice ignorant fool. Of course a pool of cycloalkanes based compounds wouldn't melt his feet off. He just disliked the idea of getting himself wet, especially his feet. Reluctantly, Squall took his first step into the clear liquid, getting used to the coldness before making his way out to face with the doctor. He specifically directed his scowl at the guy, but didn't get half the reaction he wanted. Raze only seemed to be even more amused, the pointy canines were peeking out at the corners of his mouth.

"Now was that …"

'_**Don't** even finish that.' _Squall mustered every bit of his annoyance and conveyed it through a death glare. The doctor raised his hands in defense and took a step back almost right after. It was a wonder how that even worked, but as long as it shut him up Squall didn't care.

"Fine, let's go." Raze made a face, thrusting both of his hands into his belly pocket, and began walking away. Squall stared at the man's retreating back then at his room. "Someone will take care of that. We'll prepare another room for you." He turned to the sound of Raze's voice to see that the man was standing a good few feet away, waiting for him to follow. "After all, we couldn't let our founder stay in such a mess. Come on."

With that, the he started trotting away, leaving the young teen in utter confusion. _'How did he …' _Squall mused worriedly. Everyone knew that Esthar funded Field but none knew that Esthar's Vice-President founded the organization. While it wasn't some big shot secret that would end the world if known, it also wasn't open for public. And Squall was sure Raze was a part of the public. _'Well, there's no use wondering.'_ He shrugged and started taking large strides to catch up with the young doctor. His body felt heavier with every step he made but he just ignored it.

Squall was led through a long hallway, which he recognized as the recuperative wing, although the hotel-like design had hid away the fact that this place was actually a hospital. The large frame windows that allowed vision inside the rooms were the only things giving the truth away. Through the transparent glass, everything that had to do with hospitals could be seen. Beds with wheels, readied to carry people out of the room if the time ever came. Trolleys with many trays of tools resembling the one he had knocked over stood next to those beds, just waiting to be used. In some rooms, there were nurses tending to patients. At least, this morning was peaceful as no one was rushing anyone out towards the emergency room.

Then it hit him like a rampaging Behemoth. The only way he could be put at the recuperative wing was through an emergency admittance. Was his condition that bad? He never thought lack of sleep could do that much damage to him. Okay, maybe he had skipped a meal or two from time to time but it wouldn't have done much … right?

In the empty and quiet hallway with only dull footsteps echoing, the patient tried to hide his discomfort as he strode along with his doctor. When he'd thought there was no chance of keeping up with him, the older guy slowed down, matching his pace with Squall's exerted one.

"You don't talk much, do you?" He remarked.

'_What's it to you?'_ Squall eyed him. The brunette was very cranky because of his headache. It was reminiscent of the time he was exiting the car with Laguna. And this time, he also had the power to fire this man besides him while Laguna isn't here to prevent that. Should he give the Director a call?

"I was sure you'd have raised at least one question about the founder stuff." Raze's joking voice interrupted his train of thoughts. The doctor grinned, flashing his fangs again. Seeing that there was no reply from his patient, he continued. "Wasn't it suppose to be a secret or something? I mean, the Director made it clear that he wasn't gonna tell us subordinates. So aren't you curious about how I came to know it?"

Only silence came from Squall. "Tough nut, aren't you." Raze mumbled. He was getting interested in this boy, and he rarely got interested in anybody. The young doctor couldn't contain his mood and kept grinning like, well, an idiot. He was pretty sure the boy had tagged him with either that or lunatic.

'_It's still about making me talk?'_ Squall could have just demonstrated his Ultima enhanced strength on the doctor now, but he refrained. Okay, so the guy was a doctor. How long would it take until this doctor finally understands that he wasn't in any condition to make small talks? Squall shook his head, trying to contain his headache. He was wondering why this hallway was so damn long. It felt like they've been walking forever. The keyword here being _felt_.

He had thought they were the only ones out here, but he soon noticed a small figure in a white coat standing in front of a room with no windows. Another doctor he assumed. Then, he saw Raze made a detour to exchange greetings with the woman and Squall silently groaned. There was no description to how badly he wanted to get to their destination, wherever that was. Deliberated or not, Raze was just making it difficult for him, _very_ difficult.

As they approached her, Squall quickly registered the female doctor and was amazed by her beauty. He could understand why Raze would attempt conversations with her. Tall and slender body with perfect curves. The woman had a face that could have easily passed her as a model. Her skin was smooth and she had clear blue eyes. Her knee-length skirt left her long legs unprotected, but her white blouse had made up for it, shielding most of the _view_. Not that Squall cared … really. No, _really_, he was too sick to care about anything.

"Hey, Quisty." Raze drew out one hand from his pocket to wave at her. The blonde looked up from a similar notepad to Raze's, a slight frown presented on her brows. She first nodded at Squall in acknowledgement. He returned the gesture and turned away, uninterested with the flirting that was about to commence. But what she then said to Raze fixed that.

"It's Dr. Trepe to you." The blonde jabbed her pen at the man's chest, deliberately making it painful for him. "We are working, I do expect certain manners from my subordinate."

'_It seems I'm not the only one.'_ Squall would have smirked if he wasn't feeling so out of it.

The male doctor rubbed at the spot where Quistis's pen had landed, making dramatic hissing sounds to emphasize his hurt. That gained him no sympathy from his superior, but instead he earned his patient's hatred. Squall was quietly coping with his headache while his doctor was flirting with another, he might sound repetitive but, where was the logic in this?

"Aw …" Raze started, but never got to finish it because his colleague had quickly cut in.

"Dr. Hecatomb, is there an explanation for your current appearance?" Quistis asked pointedly, crossing her arms. Squall's eyes widened slightly as he fought the urge to sputter out his thoughts. _'Hecatomb? … Did I hear it right? Raze … **Hecatomb**?'_

"I know that look, Squall." The male doctor said, wagging a finger at him. "It's bad enough to be judged by my appearance, don't go assuming things from my name, too."

"Leonhart." Squall grumbled. This was the only thing he wouldn't let be.

"Geez, have you two been secretly meeting each other?" Raze exclaimed _softly_. He still remembered they were in the recuperative wing.

"If you would have just worn your coat," Quistis argued, gesturing at the wrinkled shirt. "Or at least clean yourself up …"

"What was that!" A powerful voice suddenly boomed through the door behind Dr. Trepe, startling them all. Squall could have sworn the voice was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't really put a face to it.

"Excuse me," Quistis hastily turned to the room. As the electrical door opened, the brunette blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things. A very furious General Fury Caraway … no pun intended, was at the far side of the room. It seemed the man had taken no notice to the crowd outside. Before Squall could ask anything, the door closed up behind the blonde doctor and shut him out. He was still considering his options when he heard Raze smacking his tongue and sighed. The guy gestured for him to follow and started walking again. Squall lingered for a bit, until his head throbbed and prompted him to go.

It didn't take long for them to get to the front lobby. It was still early in the morning so there weren't many activities, mostly employees rushing around preparing things. The wide place was flooded with sunlight, so the lightings hanging down from the ceiling were deemed useless. Here, without the medical equipments, Field looked even more like a hotel. There were also several people in clothes similar to Squall's wandering around, probably on their morning strolls.

"Look, Squall," the young doctor started as he led Squall across the lobby to another hallway with a sign that said _Labs_. It was no surprise when he received a glare from the brunette. "Sheesh, _Mr. Leonhart_, before getting you to your new room, I want to perform a checkup on you. It's gonna cost but I doubt that's a problem. Heck, it might just be free of charge for you." He snickered. "You _are_ …"

"Your point?" Squall interrupted curtly, feeling a bit impatient. He had been hoping to lie down as soon as possible, but that hope was now crushed. Raze, sensing the teenager's annoyance, backed off and decided to make it quick.

"Well, we could and would have done the checkup when you were still comatose, but …" the doctor trailed of as his eyes caught something and walked away. Squall whole-heartedly wanted to cast Meteor on him that moment. Why couldn't the guy make it quick and let Squall rest already? He stared at the row of plants next to him with dissatisfaction when his ears picked up on Raze's conversation with a middle-aged woman.

A minute later, Raze was done telling a cleaner about a mess _some_ patient had created in the recuperative wing. Hearing the woman's complaints about how patients always destroyed things just because they were frustrated of their situations, Squall could've hid behind the plants in shame. However, he reminded himself that the cleaner had no idea he was the said patient, that somewhat put his embarrassment to rest. When the female worker left, there was a smug look on the doctor's face that made Squall frown.

"Okay, sorry." Raze said, giving in to the fierce glare. "Where was I? Ah, right. Your junctions can affect the results, seeing as they alter your physical body too much, our machines might misunderstand the readings. So, please remove your GFs before starting."

"Why didn't someone just draw them out?" Squall said before he could stop himself. He was feeling very lightheaded and wasn't in full control of his speech. Raze did a double-take at the teen's sudden _talkativeness_; it totally pissed Squall off. Realizing that he was not doing any favor to his patient, the doctor swiftly cleared his throat and carried on.

"This is Galbadia, remember? The law doesn't allow the junction system, well, it does now but that only started at 0 am today, so we currently don't have any specialist for drawing." He pushed at a few buttons that opened the tinted glass door and waited for the boy to go through before doing so himself. "We were going to request for one from old Balamb's Field but then you woke up and saved us the trouble."

Squall nodded blankly and darted his gaze around the place he'd just walked in. The room was coated with a dark-blue theme that strangely reminded him of his annoying doctor. There was a low buzzing noise simmering in the air. Sophisticated machines stood around the room, glowing with electrical energy. At the far side of the room, a tan skinned doctor was operating the machines. A large, completely transparent control panel resonated with his every touch. The information that was being processes rapidly on the hovering screens was simply incomprehensible.

This place was definitely new to him. He didn't get very involved with the design and furnish of this wing, having left all the scientific stuffs to those who actually knew what they were dealing with. The level of technology might just frighten most people but Squall didn't mind, he'd been through worse. When he was ten, Laguna had once thrown him into Odine's lab just because he fell of a tree. The numerous _experiments_ in the said lab scared the young him to death. Upon recalling his childhood, he shuddered, and it wasn't because of his sickness.

At the center was an MRI scanner made to contain people of almost any size. That meant even Ward could fit in it with no problem. Anyway, Squall could see two feet peeking out from inside the tube. It seemed someone else was here for a full checkup, too. He concluded that he had to wait for his turn and silently exhaled. Raze noticed his sigh and explained.

"There are ten sets of Absodiags here, but your father specifically requested for the best. This Delta here is the most recent working model, it can scan physical and magical status, as well as brainwaves in one go. The thing can even point out a mere runny nose. It's too costly though, so usually it's not in very high demand." There was a pause; whether the doctor was just catching his breath or conjuring up something to say, Squall wasn't sure. "I could say this first so you won't get too bewildered and confuse the brainwaves readings. Absodiag will put you into a hibernated state when operated, you'll feel a bit strange but that's normal. It should end quickly."

When Raze ended his sentence, the humming sound also died down and the electricity sparks disintegrated from the machines. The person inside the scanner stirred as the table slowly slid out of the tube.

Squall suddenly groaned. The sockets of his eyes stung and his vision grew dim. Every murmuring sound around him mingled into high pitch squeaks that aggravated his headache even further. He felt gravity shifted oddly around him and he fought hard to stand straight. But it was those attempts to regain balance that put him off balance and sent him he stumbling forward. Whatever that was, it was fleeting and Squall snapped out of it quite quickly, just in time to throw his hands out and cushion himself from the hard floor.

"Hey, you okay?" Raze knelt down next to him, trying to look into Squall's eyes.

No, he wasn't. He really needed to rest. Squall would give anything to be in a bed right now. He pushed himself up, still staggering a bit but the doctor had lent him a supporting hand. He hung his head while tiredly hefting his hands up to rub his face. _'Okay, this is strange.'_ He thought as tears started to well up at the corners of his eyes. The Hyne-damned familiar nauseous feeling swept over him again and his muscles weakened considerably. He had to rely on Raze to stay on his feet. Squall was sure he wouldn't even be standing now if it weren't for the GFs junctioned to him.

"Is he okay?" A voice of a girl asked worriedly.

Squall let out a snort as tears rolled down his cheeks, his situation was ridiculous. He was obviously not fine and all that people around him could ask was _Is he okay?_ He felt Raze's arms dragged him down and feebly followed the man's lead until he was sat on the floor. He took a few seconds to sober up and lifted his head. From his blurry vision, he could vaguely make out a feminine body in front of him, as well as the bluish figure of the doctor to his right. As Squall wiped his tears away, the girl's voice resounded softly in his ears.

"He's crying!" The voice demanded. "Raze, what did you do to him now?"

"Don't say that!" His doctor hastily hushed the girl while pressing his hand firmly at the back of Squall's neck. It actually made Squall feel better so he forgave what was said after that. "You'll hurt his big-boy pride. It's called lachrymation; he's just suffering from vertigo. Trust me, Ciel, he's not the type to bawl his eyes out. How could you even think that I made him cry?"

"Uh huh," the girl didn't relent. "_You_ made him lachrymate."

"Er, Ciel, 'lachrymate' isn't in the dictionary." Raze corrected the girl as he applied more pressure to his grip, relieving more of Squall's dizziness.

"Oh … Really?" She said bashfully. "Well then, what's wrong with him?"

"He's unstable, that much I know. I'm gonna find out what's wrong with him …" The man looked at Squall, scrutinizing and continued. "When he's better."

"I see," Ciel nodded and stooped down to Squall's eye level. Although he couldn't see clearly, he could still tell that the girl was observing him. Squall was still wondering about her intentions when he felt the doctor's hand tensed. The next moment, a stab of pain shot through his left shoulder as if he was, well, stabbed. It was so sudden that it made his entire being flinch. He reflexively brought his hand up to grab the wounded flesh, expecting to feel blood pouring out, but there was nothing. The pain evaporated oddly quick and a refreshing sensation spanned out inside him. His vision slowly became vivid and the nausea disappeared.

"Ciel!" Raze exclaimed disapprovingly and removed his hand from Squall. The brunette stood up the same time as his doctor, still puzzled as he confirmed the existence of the girl named Ciel in front of him. She had light blonde hair and oceanic irises. That was all Squall could take in before Ciel walked around him and headed for the door.

"Hope you feel better soon! I'm going to my room now."

When he turned around, all that greeted him was a closing door. Behind him, Raze gave him a slight nudge to get his attention. Squall looked at the man, his gaze demanding explanations.

"How are you feeling, Squall?" The doctor ignored Squall's questioning and offered his own. He then added lest Squall decided to be uncooperative. "I'll answer everything after the checkup, promise."

"… I'm good. The headache's still there, though." The brunette said, holding out his hand. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard, pushing the entities in his mind out. They complied to his wish and started moving. As three crystals with different markings materialized in his palm, he could feel the strength bestowed by the GFs seeping away. He looked at the stones for a bit and slid them into the doctor's hand. Then, he walked to the MRI machine and climbed onto the table. He was actually quite familiar with the process, opposite to Raze's belief. There was even an Epsilon model back in Odine's lab. Anyway, he wasn't that eager to participate in this checkup, he just wanted to lie down somewhere and give into sleep again.

Raze thrust the gems that he was given into his belly pocket, praying that he wouldn't lose them because of his carelessness. He could see that the boy was exhausted from his earlier suffering, so the guy quickly told his tan colleague to operate the machine. Squall watched the ceiling of the lab slowly being replace with the scanner inside the tube, before closing his eyes and let go of his consciousness. It was either he slept or was hibernated, he gradually lost his senses one by one and drifted into darkness.

* * *

><p>"… He just convinced me …"<p>

"… Hard to believe … same age …"

"Quiet … rest …"

His head was still throbbing, but it was better than before. He could vaguely hear voices around him, disturbing his sleep. Why did people always have to deny him of his right to rest? Was there some unwritten rule that Squall Leonhart wasn't allowed to rest? Would the world end if he slept in for just once? Okay, now he was just whining. Squall Leonhart did not whine.

He had an option to just lie there, fake his sleep and hope that he would be left alone. However, before he was the Vice-President of Esthar, he was a SeeD, and SeeDs didn't sleep in. His trained habits opened his eyes almost right after he'd regained his senses. He sat up only to groan at the sight in front of him. And he wished he had not woken up at all. For once, punctuality was a bad thing.

He was in a room similar to the one he had left in the recuperative wing, but he wasn't alone. Aside from Dr. Hecatomb, who he had expected to see just because the man was his doctor, there were two more people, one of which he didn't want to meet. At least not now.

"Hey, nice nap?" Raze asked aimlessly. Squall just ignored the doctor and fixed his gaze on the middle-aged man at the foot of his bed.

"Hi ya, son." Laguna waved happily at him. "I was just done telling Thanatos about how you founded Field."

Squall slapped his face in realization. _'**Laguna**, I should've known.'_

"Oops, he gave it away." Raze bared his pointy teeth.

'… _Whatever.'_

"I've been wondering doctor, what's wrong with your …" Laguna raised his query, staring at the abnormal number of canines. "You know, teeth."

'_Who cares about his teeth?'_ The brunette rolled his eyes, although he was slightly curious, too.

"You're the famous Lion, it's really nice meeting you." The slim teenager known as Thanatos next to Laguna said with a friendly smile, unconcerned by the conversation held between Raze and Laguna. It took Squall nearly everything to not scowl at the new face. The problem here was that Thanatos's additional speech had took part in making his headache worsen.

'_**Whatever**.'_ He repeated in his mind, irritated. What was it with people and nicknames? Squall didn't even know how he came to be called _Lion_ in the first place.

"Oh, they're that way after I hit puberty," Raze, who seemed to not mind the rather rude question from Laguna or the unrelated statement from Thanatos, answered simply. "My dentist said something about polyploidy, I'm still not sure even now. But they're nothing malignant so I just let be."

'_Shouldn't **you**, of all people, know best about polyploidy?'_ Squall found himself suspecting the doctor's credibility again.

"Oh, I see." The President nodded at the new information. "It sure is a wide world."

Squall sat quietly on his bed, narrowing his eyes. He had been enduring this useless verbal; it wasn't easy. He could feel his headache coming back in full force now, and his mood was turning very sour. Everyone should be glad he wasn't junctioned right now, because if he did, some Silence spells would be abused.

"It's kinda strange to feel this way about someone of your own age, but I really admire you, Leonhart." Thanatos confessed sincerely and got Squall's attention. He considered a bit and let out a grumble as a reply. His eyes started analyzing the boy. Thanatos had his hair dyed completely white and his left eye was bandaged up. He wasn't a patient, though. He wore a sleeveless shirt with a long brown scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. From what the boy had said, they were of the same age, but Squall thought that he looked a bit young to be eighteen.

The boy shrunk back from Squall's intense gaze and his brown orb darted to Dr. Hecatomb for support. "Er, Raze bro, he's kinda different from the newspaper."

Both Laguna and Raze broke into laughter as Squall exhaled tiredly. How many times had he gotten that when getting involved with random citizens, he didn't know. He had never acted differently when facing the press, his attitude just _seemed_ different through the capturing lenses. Why did people automatically plaster some outstanding personality onto him?

Then he noticed something else. The boy had addressed Raze as his brother, could they possibly be related? They looked nothing like each other after all. Squall continued watching as the doctor tousled his kid brother's hair and pushed him towards the door. "You know better than to believe the press, kiddo. Go to your girlfriend already."

"She's my _friend_." The silver-haired teen said correctively before leaving for good.

Just then, Laguna recovered from the chuckling and flashed Squall an apologetic smile. The man couldn't help but find his son's situation funny. Squall just brushed him off and leaned back against the headrest of his bed.

"Does he really have a girlfriend, Dr. Hecatomb?" After feeling slightly neglected, Laguna decided to appease his curiosity.

"Well, he insists that he doesn't, but I could tell he's gonna claim her anytime now." Raze answered knowingly as he looked at something in his notepad. The look on the man's face was uncharacteristically grave. "Say, _Mr. Leonhart_, have you been partaking in any battles that involve magic usage?"

Sensing the sudden seriousness, Squall shook his head with a "No." He had been too busy lately that he hadn't the time to even train, let alone battling. He felt kind of out of shape these days, but that didn't really matter here. He was more worried about his doctor's expression. He observed the faint flash of confusion rushing through Raze's eyes. The guy ran a hand down his face meditatively. As the dark-haired doctor fell into silence, Squall and Laguna got a bit nervous and had to find assurance in each other. The brunette eyed his father to ask if he knew anything, and the man just shrugged, as clueless as Squall was.

A small ringtone, the kind that came from a cell phone, broke the quietness inside the room. It was Raze's, and he quickly put down the notepad to take out his phone from his belly pocket. He hummed randomly here and there to answer to whatever the caller was saying and terminated the line. He turned to Squall, rummaging through his pocket again and held out the GFs stones he had been entrusted with. Squall took them back wordlessly and stared at his doctor, expecting to hear some sort of explanation.

"Mr. Leonhart, you can continue resting if you'd like." Raze said dismissively and looked at Laguna. "Mr. Loire, could we discuss this outside?"

Squall listlessly watched the two men until the door automatically closed and blocked his sight of them. He was used to keeping things from people, never before had he got information being kept from him. He felt … left out, for a lack of better words. He was considering eaves-dropping, but then pushed the idea away. He would never stoop so low. The teenager flexed his muscles a bit and lied back down. He was going to close his eyes in the attempt to sleep again, when he noticed something from the corner of his eyes.

The black notepad was sitting there on his nightstand, just screaming at him, telling him to pick it up and read. Squall looked at the door, a small part of him wanted someone to go through it and stop him from doing what he was planning to do. No one did. His curious side was dominating. _'Would it be illegal if I look through his notepad?'_ He mused. No, he should have every right to learn about his own person. Satisfied with the reasoning, he grabbed the handbook and surfed through it, unsure of what he wanted to see.

Raze seemed to have some hard cases on his hands. An albino girl with heart failure, a comatose girl, a boy with a tumor … Squall overlooked their profiles, thinking about their privacies. Then he came across his own form. There was basic information about him on the sheet, nothing special. He flipped to the next page and saw the Absodiag's results. He skipped the complicated readings, which took up the most of the space on the paper; he wouldn't be able to get anything from them anyway. Then, his eyes landed on the diagnose box at the end of the page, and he froze.

He brought the notepad away from his vision and blinked. He didn't believed what he saw. Squall rubbed his eyes, hoping that he saw it wrong, and looked at the results again.

_Possible physical status: Leukemia (APL), Brain Tumor (BSGs)._

And the _Brain Tumor_ was circled carelessly with a blue pen.

His mind stopped working for a moment, and sprung back to life the next, bringing a storm of thoughts into his head. Theories and explanations hit him like a horde of running Cactuars, but nothing put him at eased. He looked at the result yet again, frowning. _'BSGs? What the hell is BSGs? That useless doctor, what does he mean, brain tumor? (Death) I don't have that … do I? (Death) All the symptoms … Is it curable? (Death) Damn, my head hurts. (Death) It's … true? (Death) What of my life now? (Death) Painful? (Death) Surgery? (Death) Nothing but a memory … No!'_ Squall shook his head violently; it didn't help his throbbing pain, but he didn't care. He brought a hand to his face and wiped away the cold sweats that was rolling down his forehead. Were these sweats another symptom the tumor or just him being scared?

'_Scared?'_ Why should he be? Before he was the Vice-President of Esthar, he was a SeeD, he was the Commander of Balamb's Garden. He was trained to kill and readied to die for a mission. His death could be all the more gruesome on the battlefield, and he should know by now that he could be assassinated anytime in the political world. So he shouldn't feel afraid about something as _peaceful_ as dying from an illness. _'There's nothing to be scared about. Yeah …' _Squall succeeded in calming himself down, though, it didn't last long.

He needed to confirm this, this was not right, this was simply unthinkable. The brunette got out of his bed quickly, ignoring a protesting dizziness that threatened to bring him to his knees. He placed the notepad back to where it was before and walked to the door. Hopefully, the two men would be careless enough to talk right in front of this room.

Squall looked at the stones in his possession and called out to them, his mind sought connections with the GFs. The crystals glowed, answering him. They slowly melted into his palm and let themselves be absorbed silently. He could feel the power that came along with the GFs, his muscles shifted with power and his every senses was heightened. The strong smell of sterile grew even stronger in his nose and he began hearing more sounds in the supposedly quiet room. Although not very clearly, he could still hear some parts of the conversation his father and doctor was having. It seemed both Laguna and Raze hadn't a clue about GFs' capability. He pressed his ear to the door and listened hard.

"Are you sure? … too late?" Laguna's voice mumbled. Squall was slightly bothered because he didn't catch most of the sentence.

"I'm sure," Raze's voice answered him. "It's long-term … well, nothing can …" A large group of people passing by out-sounded their conversation and blocked Squall out. _'Nothing can … be done?' _He played a simple game of fill in the blank and felt his hope crumbling. He didn't know how or when or why, but his tumor had been there for longer than he had known and now was incurable.

It was a good ten or more seconds later that he could listen in again.

"For how long?" Laguna asked the important question, but Squall didn't really want to know how long he had left.

"At most," Raze paused, adding to the dramatic effect. It felt as if he knew Squall was listening. "Three months."

Squall couldn't believe his ears. He brought a hand up and brushed back some hair that was falling in front of his eyes. Inside his head, thoughts about death spiraled like a mad typhoon, just urging him to get violent and vent whatever that was bothering him out. He felt like shouting, he felt like destroying things regardless of the complaints he had heard from the female cleaner, he felt like bursting out of this room and beat the doctor senseless for talking crap, he felt like slamming his father to the wall for even believing the crap the doctor had fed him. None of those happened. None of those was in his character; all he did was stood, dumb-struck.

"Let's keep this from the boy, doctor." Laguna said, pulling Squall away of his thoughts.

"I agree." He heard his doctor replied.

He knew they were going to come in any second now. Should he or should he not let them know that he heard them? His mind screamed that he should but for some reason, his body acted on its own and brought him back to his bed. When the door slid open, he had already settled down nicely, as thought he had been lying there the whole time, all thanks to his Triple junctioned speed.

The two men walked in warily and let out sighs of relief when they saw the _sleeping_ teenager. Squall hadn't meant to fake sleep, but on the spur of the moment, he had closed his eyes and stayed as still as a corpse. Oh well, what was done had been done. He just have to breathe deeply and make sure his eyes didn't dart around under his lids.

"You know," Raze started. "I've just known him but I almost feel sorry for him."

"Don't ever be, he won't like it." Laguna advised wisely. "He gets very stubborn about certain things, but you have my thanks in his stead."

"I expect no less from him …" The doctor chuckling was cut short as he realized something. Squall could feel the guy approaching the nightstand to retrieve his handbook. "Damn, I should really start minding where I leave things. Thank Hyne he hadn't looked into it."

'_Too late, already did.' _Squall scoffed poignantly.

There was a long moment of silence. The two men just observed him wordlessly. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable with his position and wondered if he should stir or not. It felt like forever until they finally decided to leave him alone. His eyes snapped open right after he heard the door close, and he laid there staring at the ceiling. The quiet time had served to calm him down, and now he felt empty, shallow. He didn't know what to think anymore. He was going to die in three months time. With life as eventful as his, he'd expected to not live long, but he never thought death would come this soon.

He had imagined dying with an ice cold weapon through his heart. Or dying inside the jaws of some random monsters. Or maybe slowly and painfully drift into nirvana after being tortured by the enemy. Or passing away without a clue by an assassination in the night. Or seeing shards of glass from broken a window as a bullet plunged towards him. Or death by a planted bomb, blasted into nothingness, barely feeling anything at all. Or, as stupid as it may sound, be ran over by a speeding car. There were so many things he thought could die from, but illnesses were not one of them. He had grown up so healthily, the thought of dying from an illness had never even crossed his mind.

'_Scared? No, I'm not …' _Squall mused darkly. _'Good idea, go ahead and lie to yourself.'_

He didn't understand. While those deaths were so much more frightful, he was never afraid. All it took was a tumor in his brain and he freaked out. Why? Then, the reason dawned on him. He realized that if he were to die, it was still a matter of _if_ his mission went wrong, or _if_ the security around him was breached … or _if_ he got too careless when crossing the street. There was a possibility, but as high as chances could get, there was always the _possibility _of it not happening. On the other hand, this illness was real, not just some hypothetic situations. It had been confirmed that he would die in three months, maybe even less. It wasn't a probability anymore, it was absolute.

Squall closed his eyes to soothe the prickling feel that was brought on by not blinking for too long. As he laid motionlessly, he slowly slipped into a dreamless yet restless sleep. His headache was a constant reminder of his imminent death.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Rant:<strong> Whee, the first 3 OCs enter the scene. They're quite interesting, aren't they?

**Squall: Whatever. –No, not interesting, _annoying_. I don't mind the kid and the girl but what kind of doctor has a name of killing and destruction?- *looks around restlessly***

Yes, Raze Hecatomb is pretty interesting. And don't you dare insult the fruit of my imagination! He's my next most favorite male OC.

**Squall: Whatever. –What did the girl do to me anyway? That useless doctor said he'd explained but in the end he never did.- *looks at the door expectantly***

You'll have to find out yourself. Just ask Ciel.

**Squall: -She's not here.-**

Well, do you want her here?

**Squall: No!*still expecting something from the door***

That answer was a bit quick, don't you think? *fake sobs* I'm hurt, really. And Squall? Rinoa's not going to come. She's busy preparing for the next chapter. Says she had to get into character for the emo scene. After this you should, too.

**Squall: Okay. –Damn, she's not? And I'm in the next chapter? Can't I have one chapter off? … Nighthill, stop writing my thoughts out!-**

It's your fault for making me invent the thinking-speech. Anyways, you're the male lead here, of course you're gonna be in every chapter from now on. What do you expect?

**Squall: Whatever. –Just don't put me in another scene with that guy. He's just aggravating.-**

Unfortunately, you're gonna have at least one more scene with Raze. But I bet ten bucks you would see him a new light when the time comes.

**Squall: Whatever … You're the author.**

*gasps and does a double take* He talks!

**Squall: *gives author a death glare that rivals the one he has given Raze. Of course the author flinches*Whatever. –I'm out. It's boring here without Rinoa.-**

He's mean ... Back to ranting. I complained that chapter 2 was long, but look at how this turned out. Anyways, hope you like the read.


	6. Faulty Resolves

How long has it been since I last updated this story? It felt like so long ago.

Ahem, anyways, for people who care, I've just changed the prologue slightly. So for better understanding in this chapter, I suggest looking through the prologue again. But, it's not much, really, so you don't have to reread the prologue to understand what's going on here.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter V: Faulty Resolves<strong>

The sunlight shining down on her seemed fake, it irritated her unfocused eyes. Many sounds halfheartedly echoed around her, ringing at her earlobes. She never knew that a quiet room could be so noisy.

The raven-haired girl put a hand to her forehead and sighed. Having just woken up, why did she feel so tired? Her head was so heavy; all of the thinking must be taking its toll. She brought both her hands up and was running them through her hair when she felt something pulling at her right wrist. She lifted her arm and stared at the transparent tube taped to it. Just by looking at the thing, she was reminded of what had happened just moments ago and a sense of displeasure started to rise within her. She angrily pulled at the tube with more power than needed and threw it away just as violently. She wanted to see that thing as far away from her as possible, but that small wish was never granted. As the medical instrument was flung through the air, it was suddenly jerked back by the IV drip and never got very far. That made her mood drop even lower. She hissed at the tube that was now hanging just centimeters above the floor and quickly turned back to the windowsill in front of her.

After a moment of silence, she became more frustrated. She silently scolded herself for her impulsive action. She really didn't need to lash out like that; it was stupid to vent out on an inanimate object in the first place. Moreover, it never helped her feel any better, only worse. There was a strange feeling tugging at her, and she couldn't quite put her fingers around it. She just didn't understand this feeling. It just kept bothering her, overwhelming her mind, making her feel helpless, drowning her in a sea of pessimism.

She hugged her legs and blankly looked at her own two feet. Disturbing imaginations once again flooded her vision, pulling her mind deeper and deeper into darkness. Her surroundings felt so surreal, almost as if she was in a dream. It would be nice if this was a dream, but she could never forget that she was wide awake. That this place, this dreaded place she was in, was a hospital. That she was going to be locked up under tight supervision like some kind of criminal. And that she had been diagnosed with the most impossible illness possible, one without any kind of symptoms.

Rinoa tried to set her mind at rest to no avail. She could still hear her dad's voice belittling her, telling her she was going to die. She gritted her teeth and dug her nails into the soft cushion beneath her palms. She felt so mad at him, at the insecurity that he caused her. How could he demean her that much? Of course she didn't want to die, and also, she didn't want to be treated like some sort of criminal. Her exhalation was short-lived though; she knew that getting worked up would only quicken her respiration, which may then induce unwanted attacks. The last thing she needed was more reasons for the great General to _lock her up_. She choked on a wry smile at the thought.

From the moment Quistis had told her about her illness, the words had stayed stagnant in her mind; they disturbed her greatly. She didn't want to think of the matter anymore, but for some reason, she couldn't _bring_ herself to put it off her mind. Instead, she replayed everything over and over in her head, until she could recite every single word fluently and she couldn't help the bitterness from growing inside her. She could feel bile climbing up her throat as her breathing became harder. She fought to keep her frown to the bare minimum but the lack of oxygen was getting to her. Her hands instinctively shot up to her chest and gripped hard at her shirt, squeezing her delicate skin in the process. She didn't care how much it hurt though, she just wanted the attack to go away.

See, if this wasn't asthma then what was? The results were wrong and Quistis was mistaken! For sure. Either she was healthy or she had asthma, and that was it. And since the symptoms were all there, she wasn't healthy, she had asthma, just normal asthma. She didn't have that doubtable mysterious illness that threatened to end her life any second. No. She only had asthma, and as chronic as it might prove itself to be, she would not die.

Slowly, the smothering feeling loosened up and she could breathe easily again. As she let go of her shirt, she didn't forget to check if she there were any nail marks or bruises. Thankfully, her skin was only a bit red, it would fade in no time at all. Giving her skin some gentle rub, she shook her head. She had been thinking way too much, but she was fine now. She shouldn't let something as ridiculous as a symptomless illness get to her. She would just continue living like she had been all her life.

From her peripheral vision, she noticed something at the small nightstand next to her bed and scrambled towards it: her necklace, with her mom's ring as the pendant. How could she ever have forgotten about it? She grabbed at the small platinum ring and quickly felt its smooth surface in her palm, letting a small smile be shown on her lips. After a bit, she decided to put on the necklace, and just as she got the clasp together behind her neck someone walked in before of her and blocked the glaring sunlight outside the window. The decrease of lighting aggravated her eyes.

"Hey there, so you're my roommate?" A voice asked her.

'_Roommate?'_ Rinoa tipped her head in question. She remembered the wrinkled sheet of the bed next to hers. So this person was the one, who had occupied there? The raven-haired girl was curious to see who it was. After all, this roommate of her sounded very friendly.

It took a bit of time before she regained her vision, and she was surprised to see a girl beaming at her. The next thing that caught her attention was a smooth stream of hair. Under the sunlight, the light blond hair glittered like a stream of silver, complimenting its owner's fair complexion. The girl's slender frame was obscured by a caramel-colored pair of pajamas, which was a bit too big for her. Now that Rinoa saw this, she finally realized that she was also wearing the same clothing. She had been so caught up with herself that she hadn't even noticed. If the stranger hadn't come then she wondered when she would notice that simple fact.

Rinoa took a good look at the blond girl, her gaze almost scrutinizing, to register the new face. It just felt a bit off to talk to someone after such a dreaded period of contemplating. A single second that her eyes met with the stranger's, a sense of familiarity swept pass her. Beautiful, oceanic blue orbs; they reminded her of Quistis. At first, the discovery brought along a wash of relief that lowered Rinoa's guard considerably, but then spite quickly layered over her mind and replaced her bewildered expression with a frown. Right now, she was very angry at the young doctor for siding with her dad.

"Um, am I bothering you?" The girl's smile faltered before Rinoa's scowl. "Sorry."

That snapped her back to reality. The person standing before her wasn't Quistis, she just happened to have her older friend's eyes. How embarrassing, her attitude was hardly acceptable. She had glared at an innocent stranger, who had nothing to do with her dilemma. She had beaten herself up with all the pessimism. She had let her insecurity get the best of her and had been wasting her time to worry about some nonexistent illness. No more! Rinoa released her ensconcing position and shook her head, quickly gathering herself. Let everyone think what they want, she only had common asthma. If she took care to avoid everything that could ignite her attacks, she knew she wouldn't die. And then, she would shove it back in their face and let them see that she could live just fine.

The blonde was looking at her questioningly. She was acting weird, wasn't she?

"No, I'm just a bit surprised." She hastily waved her hands apologetically. She didn't mind the unexpected appearance of this stranger, not at all. The blonde might just be able to help her forget about her previous disgruntlement.

The stranger gave no reaction to Rinoa's answer, instead tilted her head in a fraction of an inch with a concerned expression. The girl's observation made Rinoa a bit uncomfortable; it was as if she was facing Quistis. She was going to open her mouth to break the awkward silence, when the other girl spoke. "I don't mean to pry, but you look kind of pale. Are you alright?"

Was she alright? The question was less than pleasing, it nearly brought her back to those dreaded thoughts. But then, hadn't she just made up her mind to not let them sway her anymore? She wouldn't believe another word about this supposedly strange illness of her. She cleared her mind of every uncertainty; she wasn't bothered anymore, because they weren't true. Rinoa brought her hand up to the familiar feel of the ring in her hand, she could feel the power it gave her as she look up to the blonde and smiled.

"Don't worry. I'm just a bit tired, that's all."

* * *

><p>He had just woken up from yet another very shallow sleep and his head was hurting again. Even if that useless doctor had told him to get as much rest as possible, he found sleeping quite hard with this headache. It kept acting up every time he was about to drift off into sleep. The pain was keen on keeping him awake, wasn't it? He didn't want to force himself to sleep anymore. Rest was supposed to help him somehow, but it wasn't proving to be very effective, so why should he continue?<p>

Squall groggily sat up on his bed and tried to massage his temples. It didn't make him feel any better. The headache was still there; the nausea was still lurking around the margin, ready to strike at him. He slowly slid down from the bed, testing his footing to make sure it was firm before completely letting go of the nightstand … and regretted it. Almost instantly, his vision swirled and stretched, and he uselessly stumbled onto the ground. He knew this would happen, but he just had to leave the bed. He had practically been lying there the whole day, and his muscles were all very sore now. Ridiculous. He could neither move around nor stay still, then what was he to do?

'_That's what you get for having a tumor in your brain.'_ Squall thought sarcastically.

He could feel another fit coming, and it would reach the peak anytime now. Gradually, a thick haze clouded his mind, shutting off everything around him. The excruciating pain, which he had gotten too damn familiar with, passed through every inch of his veins before accumulating at the back of his neck. He fought to concentrate his thoughts, clinging onto his fading consciousness. His vision blurred; sounds once again became nonsensical buzzing in his ears, pushing his headache to a higher level. For a moment, it was as if he was the only existing being, confined in a tiny, empty space, where himself was the only thing that mattered. No thoughts, no feelings, just plain and simple instinct to survive.

For how long it lasted, Squall didn't know, but when it was finally over, he found himself curling up on the floor. Not only was his head still hurting, it felt bloated from lack of oxygen. His chest was exploding with pain as he realized he had forgotten to breathe and hastily gasped for air. He was drenched in sweat yet his skin was rugged with bumps brought on by abnormal chills. With the little strength he could muster, he tried to stand up and seek support from the nightstand. Suddenly, another deafening screech rang through his ears and messed up his sense of balance. Squall quickly found himself on the cold floor again.

He grounded his teeth and growled out in frustration, but nothing more than that. He didn't have the luxury to lash out, because any movements now would only make his condition worse.

Carefully to not induce anymore unwanted reaction, he pushed himself up and leaned against the nightstand. He slowly bent his leg so that he had a place to rest his arms against and started wiping away the drops of sweat on his forehead. Then, he looked up to the ceiling and exhaled. The pain had calmed down to a dull throbbing, but it was nowhere near pleasant. He closed his eyes, swallowed and let out another breath, trying to suppress the nausea. His throat felt parched.

After one long day, he had learned that the symptoms would show themselves periodically. It was quick to end, but every second he suffered was like an eternity. The pain was getting worse with every outburst. This time, he had nearly lost consciousness, he really didn't know how much more he could take. The idea angered him greatly. He had always been able to cope with everything by himself, he had never felt this weak and helpless before. Being a SeeD, he had experienced all kinds of pain, but nothing could quite compare to this. No training could ever prepare him for this kind of torture; it hurt right from the inside, tearing at his skull.

He lifted his hand up, grabbed at the foot of the bed next to him and slowly tightened his grip. Sure enough, he could feel the metal bar deforming inside his palm. He still had the strength the GFs bestowed him, but for some reason, he felt so powerless. Squall dropped his hand to the floor and slammed his head against the nightstand, ignoring the throbbing protests that exploded between his lobes right after. This was getting out of hand, in one day, he had already had enough. And he would have to live like this for three months? Would everyday be full of pain like this? Would he die from the pain before his tumor get to him? Would his last day be the most painful one? Even more than now?

_What if today was your last day?_ The question flashed through his mind, making his eyes snap open. Ah, right. Five years ago, he had read it from somewhere. Was it some sort of premonition that he had read the article? Funny how five years ago, he had still been planning for the peace treaty, so eager to see the future days. Now that he was finally living that future, he barely had any time left. Today wasn't really his last day, but the feeling was close enough. _'What was my answer to the question now …'_ He searched his memory of that night, where he was alone in his office. He had decided then that he would spend his time learning more and more, that he would make the best out of that last day. _'Good idea, I'll go do that.'_ He scoffed at how stupid it sounded to him now. As much as he hated to admit it, his younger self was too naïve.

For one, why would he want to study if he was going to die? For two, he could barely live if it was going to hurt like this every day. There was no way he could learn anything like that. Then, a small thought crossed his mind. _'I'd … make the best out of my last days.'_ Squall pondered over the sentence. If he had nothing he desired then he should at least complete the things that he had started. That was it. If nothing can be done to save him then he could always pour every last bit of his life into ensuring peace for Esthar … and Balamb also.

"Er, what are you doing on the floor?" A familiar voice asked him, pulling him away from his thoughts. Laguna was the one who had asked the question, and standing next to him was that useless doctor. Two people he didn't want to see the most, but couldn't help it since they were the only ones, who were likely to visit him here. He didn't bother answering them and silently stood up. It took him a lot of effort to just stand up straight. Seeing this, Raze, who had finally worn his coat, said.

"You didn't listen to me, did you, Squall? I told you to stay on the bed for a reason."

'_So now he chooses to use a doctor's tone.' _Squall narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything as he sat down on his bed. As much as he hated listening to that doctor, he also hated showing his weakness. Oh, and he almost forgot. "Leonhart!"

"Geez, for someone of so few words, you're _really_ persistent about this." The dark-haired doctor exclaimed.

"When can I go?" He ignored the comment and asked. The two men still didn't know that he knew. In reaction to his question, they gave a pause and glanced at each other, as if to once again go over at previously practiced conversation. It seemed they were going to try and stop him from leaving without telling him of his condition.

"Um, I'm afraid you're not going anywhere, Mr. Leonhart." Raze began, stuffing his hands into his belly pockets. "I suggest you take some time off and rest for …" The doctor made it look like he was thinking, but Squall already knew the deadline, three months.

"Maybe three months?" Raze shrugged, repeating Squall's prediction.

"No." He answered without a second thought. "I don't see any reason to."

"Well, you have a very extreme case of fatigue." The doctor said offhandedly, gesturing towards him. "Not to mention you can barely stand right now."

'_Extreme case of fatigue? Is that all they can come up with?' _He resisted the urge to roll his eyes; he would have laughed at them if he didn't have this headache. Did they think he was stupid? No fatigue could amount to this much pain. Even a child would be able to tell that they were lying. "It will get better." He said simply. If they were so keen on hiding it from him then he didn't mind acting like he was still in the dark. It would even give him an edge in this, because they wouldn't have any valid reason to keep him here.

"Yes, _you_ will get better." Raze corrected him, the annoying wide grin still on his face. "But until you do, it is important that you stay."

'_It's obvious that I won't __**ever **__get better, so why don't you just let me go.'_ He really wanted to say that, but if he did, he would lose any hope of getting out."No." Squall answered firmly, reaching for the glass of water on the nightstand. He made sure to regard the doctor with a death glare before taking a large gulp to soothe his thirst. "If it's malnutrition, I'll start minding my meals. If it's lack of sleep, I'll adjust my schedule. If it's anything else, tell me how to fix it, and _I_ will fix it by _myself _at _my_ home."

"I'm sure we all know you won't do that. It's bad for your health if you push yourself anymore than this." The doctor sighed again, scratching the back of his head. "Look, I get it that you don't want to stay in Field, but you have to. Fatigue isn't something that you can just sleep over. We need to make sure you have completely recovered before letting you discharge. It's just for three months, and after that you can go found another Field in the Shumi village for all I care."

"… Dr. Hecatomb," Squall said after a bit of thinking. "If you can name one service this place could provide me better than my home, then I'll stay." A challenge was evidential in his tone, and the doctor had lost right from the beginning. Of course there was nothing Field had that could compare to the technology in Esthar. Any medication or treatment his supposed fatigue might need would be better off provided in Esthar. Squall didn't mind that aspect too much, he wouldn't care even if he was given the crappiest service possible. The one thing that didn't sit well with him in Field was that his work wasn't there.

Raze slightly tightened his lip and swallowed. _'Geez, that's quite a harsh comment coming from the founder himself.' _His grin was replaced with a look of defeat. He hadn't expected to easily convince the teenager, but he never thought he would lose this soon. True, Esthar excelled in everything Field could give the boy, but at least here …

"You have no reason to keep me here." Squall shook his head dismissively. "I can't afford to be away for three months. My duties can't wait that long."

"Then, you are relieved from duty for three months, Squall." Raze opened his mouth, but the voice that spoke was Laguna's. The middle-aged man, who had been quiet all this time, had an unfamiliarly stern expression on his face.

"What?" He asked; his low, dark tone skillfully hid his surprise. Did he hear it wrong, or did the man really say that he was to be removed.

"You heard me," his father coolly said, showing no sign of the happy-go-lucky man that he knew. "As the President, I hereby suspend your position."

They stared at each other; the air held a deadly pressure that might crush anyone unrelated to the conversation. Upon sensing that he had no more place in this argument, the dark-haired doctor excused himself with a swift playful salute and waltzed out of the room. The moment the door slid close …

"Stop messing around, Laguna." Squall growled dangerously. "I can't just be dismissed like some random employee. I have responsibilities."

Laguna wordlessly took out his cell phone and dialed a number. He put the phone to his ear and waited. "Oh, hey Kiros. Something's come up. Squall is _not_ our Vice-President anymore, freeze his work accounts, all of them." The brunette stared in disbelief as he watched his father continued. "Also, delete his citizenship and tell the immigration department to forbid his entry under any circumstances. I'll explain later." With that, the man disconnected the call and turned back to a speechless Squall. "Now, you don't have _any_ responsibilities."

'_You …'_ His jaws tightened as he felt blood rushing to his head. It only made his headache worse, but he didn't care. He unconsciously tightened his hold of the glass and his jucntioned strength wasted no time to shatter the fragile object. With his gaze still fixed on the older man, he slid down from the bed and released his fist, letting the transparent shards of glass fall to the ground. He didn't bother checking his hand, knowing that it was unhurt thanks to the GFs. With sheer anger, he approached the man before him.

The dark-haired doctor was leaning cross-armed against the wall outside of his patience's room, humming a random song. He was thinking about the events that could be happening inside right now.

That Squall boy was too stubborn for his own good. He was already in this state yet he still wanted to work. There was no doubt, the moment he set foot back into Esthar, he would plunge straight into work like a mad man, completely disregarding his own health. That wouldn't do him any good.

The man shook his head and started playing with the zipper of his hoodie out of boredom. Suddenly, Raze thought he saw something from his peripheral vision and his head perked up immediately. "Well, well, what an honor." He grinned upon seeing who it was. "You can go right on in."

The General eyed the unruly doctor for a bit, probably wondering about the set of canines, before proceeding on. He stood in front of the door and waited for it to open up. When it did, he was nailed in place by the intense atmosphere that burst out from the room. "Ooh, scary, huh?" The doctor beside him drawled playfully, slightly gaining his attention. Surprisingly, he agreed with the young man: the Lion looked fit to kill.

Although both father and son appeared composed, rage was swirling violently inside the teenager. He knew he was overreacting, he could still find a way to turn the table in this argument. He just needed to stay calm and prove that suspending him was a very stupid decision. However, right now he found it very hard, as he was tempted to knock some sense into the man before him. _'What kind of sick joke is this?_' He only had three months of life left and not only was his position was suspended, he was even exiled? Unexpectedly, the door opened, and he could see over his father's shoulder that it was General Fury Caraway standing at the doorframe. The man seemed taken aback.

"Oh, Fury." Laguna had a complete change in attitude and spun around to beam at the General. "We were just discussing about Squall's condition. He had decided to temporarily relinquish his position so that he can recover."

He blinked. _'What the-'_ His eyes switched from the Galbadian General to his father in utter horror. _'No, no, no, no!'_ He could sense his defeat looming closer. His pupils darted in place as his mind desperately tried to search for a way out of this. He wouldn't let himself be dismissed, he _couldn't_. He was the Vice-President _and _an important ambassador. There was _no way_ things would work out without him.

"I see." The military leader said, cutting him from his thoughts. The man nodded approvingly and smiled at Squall; there was a hint of tiredness in his voice as he spoke. "That's a good decision. The hardest part is over, you can leave the rest to us old men. You are still just a teenager, take a break and be your age." He placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder and gave him a reassuring grip.

'_Hynedamn, you can't just brush me off like this!' _Squall shouted beseechingly in his head. His throat and jaw worked, trying to form words as his lungs were filled with air, readying for his retort. Nothing came out, instead he answered the General with a forced nod. He whole-heartedly wanted to speak his mind, but there was a tiny voice in his head telling him that nothing good would come out of opening his mouth now.

"You're _absolutely_ right." His father's chirpy voice was like an oil tank in Ifrit's den. "Squall, you should use this chance to do things that you haven't had the chance to do yet." It was as if the man stole the words right out of his mind. They were much more similar than he would have liked it.

The General then noticed the shattered glass on the floor and raised a questioning glance at the pair of parent and child. Squall, being the one guilty of the deed, consciously brushed his hands together to get rid of the pieces of glass still stuck to his palm. Laguna laughed inanely and answered. "Well, our Squall here got a bit dizzy so he dropped it, that's all." Upon finishing the sentence, he received a glare from the brunette. His son wasn't very pleased with the explanation.

"Whatever." Squall muttered under his breath, taking care not to let the General hear. He gave the man an acknowledging nod, which also served as a silent goodbye and strode to the door. Much to his dismay, he could never storm out of the door to express his displeasure. Instead he had to walk, seemingly calm, lest he lost his balance again and brought shame upon himself. The last thing he wanted was to create a pathetic scene in front of the General.

As he exited his room, he was greeted by that annoying doctor.

"I advise you against going around too much." Raze said, baring his disturbing fangs. The brunette wanted to snap back with something witty – although the doctor _might_ be right, he just needed to piss someone off to feel better. The young doctor raised his hands up before Squall could open his mouth and shrugged. "Oh well, not like you'll listen. I've done my part, I'm out." And the man smugly walked away.

Squall mentally cursed at the doctor's back. Nothing was going right for him today. First, he found out he had BSG, whatever that was, and only had three more months of life. Now, he went from being the most successful teenager to a nobody that had just gotten exiled from his home country. What next? Adel starts a coup d'état? Ridiculous! The woman had no power now, she wouldn't stand a chance against Esthar's Government. But then … him having a brain tumor was ridiculous and unthinkable also, and look at him now.

He sucked at his teeth and turned to leave when his enhanced ears suddenly caught onto the conversation between the two men on the other side of the door. Of course, he stopped to listen. There might be something that he could use to his advantage.

"He'll be transferred to Balamb Field for better environment." His father said.

"Well," the other man mumbled huskily. "Do you mind arranging a place there for Rinoa also?"

"Rinoa? Why?" Laguna sounded surprised, but then, his tone changed to a grave one. "She's … Fury, this has something to do with the maid you talked to last night, doesn't it? Is something wrong with Rinoa?"

There was a long pause that made Squall decided to stop listening. They were talking about a Rinoa; whoever she was wasn't of any concern to him. It was obvious that there wasn't anything that would prove useful to his current situation. As he turned on his heel, he heard the General say in an uncharacteristically soft voice. "They said … she could die anytime now." The teenager froze; his scowl disappeared for a millisecond before he knitted his brows again._ 'What's there to be surprised about? This is a hospital, deaths are … inevitable.'_

With a wry shake of his head, he strode away, destination still unknown.

* * *

><p>She had spent the whole day inside that boring recuperative room. She wasn't bored though - her roommate was very good company. The blonde, who had introduced herself as Celeste, was a very friendly girl. Spending time with Celeste had lightened her mood greatly, and as a plus she was no longer bothered by her own condition. There was nothing to be worried about, after all she would only be living with an illness, which she had already gotten a little too used to for a whole long year. She was fine now and she would be fine in the future also.<p>

"It's a shame that we won't be roommates anymore." Rinoa said as she flopped down on her new friend's bed. "Quistis should be coming soon. I wonder if our rooms would be near."

"Oh, we can always request for it, it won't be very hard since Quistis is responsible for the both of us." Celeste was lying on her stomach; her head resting comfortably as she looked up to Rinoa. "So, do you want to?"

"What? Quistis is also your doctor?" The raven-haired girl eyes widened. "What a coincidence!"

"Hm, I don't know." Celeste propped herself up with her elbows and smiled at Rinoa. "It could be fate."

"That … would be nice." She smiled back, a bit enthralled by the mention of _fate_. Maybe it was the calm and gentle aura that emitted from the blonde. Or maybe it could be how she was similar to Quistis. Or it could simply be because of the name, after all, Rinoa had always had a thing for blue. In any case, Rinoa wanted to get to know the blonde better, like there was some unknown connection between them.

"What would be?" Both girls were slightly startled by this new voice, but they knew just who it was.

"Oh, hey Quistis." Rinoa saluted the young doctor who had just entered the room.

"Good evening." Celeste daintily greeted after sitting up straight.

"Good evening to you both." Quistis returned the gesture. "You look well. I'm here to let you know that your rooms have been prepared, we will go there when you're ready."

A while ago, Quistis had come to check on her and informed that she would soon be moved to another room. The woman had then smiled warmly at her and even given her a hug in front of Celeste. She could still feel the embarrassment even now; it was a nice kind of embarrassment though. Quistis was probably trying to cheer her up but. Well, she didn't mind anymore, and she was no longer angry at the woman; she knew Quistis was only worried about her. Even if Quistis didn't see things the way she did, she could never forget the friend that had always been there for her.

"About that," Rinoa connected her fingertips, bashfully eyeing the blonde doctor. Yes, she was going for those puppy eyes; apparently, the woman held a mysterious soft spot for puppy eyes. "Quistis, do you think you can arrange it so that we could have the same room? Since, you know, it'd be much more comfortable to share a room with someone I've known beforehand."

Quistis seemed surprised, but more than that perplexed. She looked from one patient to the other, her lips slightly parted in attempt to say something. Then, the doctor fixed her gaze on Celeste with a hint of worry. It was as if she was hoping that the girl would not support Rinoa's request. The younger blonde only gave her a small smile as an answer, and the gesture could very well be interpreted as a positive attitude. There was a short period of awkwardness as Quistis crossed her arms in deep thinking. The young woman seemed torn between her friend's request and some certain mandator's. Finally, she said. "Celeste … your guardian has specifically requested that you be put in a private room."

Yet another period of awkward silence. Rinoa noticed Celeste's expression had shifted slightly to a frown. She was confused by the path the conversation had steered into. Why did the air become so heavy? Was there something about this guardian that irked the gentle blonde so? And why did that guardian sound so keen isolating Celeste? The younger blonde seemed to be considering something when she suddenly turned to Rinoa. "Rinoa, I'm really sorry but can you leave us alone for a bit?" Her tone sounded almost pleading that Rinoa agreed without any question asked.

When the raven-haired girl had just exited, before the door could slide to a close she heard Celeste said. "If he says anything, tell him that he is not my guardian and that I can do as I like."

And the door closed, blocking Rinoa from the conversation inside the room. She was a bit stunned at the obvious bitterness of the blonde's tone. Did Celeste have such a bad relationship with this person? Well, he wouldn't be the epitome of a gentleman if he was trying lock Celeste up in a lonely room. Rinoa felt sympathy for Celeste; she understood it quite well actually. She and the General were the same after all. Deciding to not intrude on her new friend's privacy too much, she started trotting away.

'_Hm, where to go now …' _She pondered on her path. She didn't really have anywhere to go, not when she was stuck in a hospital.

* * *

><p>The teenager dragged himself along the empty hallway with hardship. He had no idea where he was heading to yet he pushed himself to keep pacing forward. Every step he took seemed to be sending some certain signal back to his brain so that the pain could blare out. As he tried to keep his posture straight, a small part of him was wondering why he had to make things difficult for himself.<em> 'What are you trying to prove? That there's nothing wrong with you? Well too bad, you have a tumor<em>,_ just stop it already_.' He blinked the moment he finished that thought. His mind was actually trying to convince him to stop and turn back.

Should he have taken that doctor's advice and not move around too much after all? Was he beginning to regret leaving his bed? He gritted his teeth and slammed his fist against the wall, creating a small crack on the smooth surface, but he didn't care. Anger was burning within him; people should be happy it was only a cracked wall. If he hadn't been restraining himself, he could have destroyed this entire hallway to ease his mind.

Squall looked at the crack for a bit and found himself staring for longer than he had intended to. He ran a finger over the deformed surface, his mind filled with a million thoughts. He wasn't overreacting anymore, that much was sure. He had never felt like this, not the powerlessness just moment before, it was pure displeasure from not getting what he wanted for the very first time. Yes, maybe every child had experienced that feeling, but he hadn't. Because anything he had ever asked for was needed, was reasonable, and was right. What was so wrong about him wanting to work? Sooner or later, his illness would render him useless anyway. Why couldn't- _shouldn't_ it be sooner?

Of course he never expected to be able to convince Laguna at all, but this turn of events was just ridiculous. It had never even crossed his mind that he would be dismissed. He, the Lion, was too important. If Caraway hadn't come then maybe he would have had a chance to bring that up and change Laguna's mind. That chance had disintegrated now. _'Fuck!'_ Now, even the General considered him retired from the plan. Squall couldn't stop the free flow of profanities in his mind. Laguna, it was low of him, too damn low, to bring up the matter in front of the Galbadian. The man knew that Squall could never afford to create a scene in the presence of an outsider. Were those men even sane? He was the only reason everything worked out; there was no doubt the moment words get out that he had been dismissed, there would be hell to pay. Those _cockroaches_ would jump at any possible means to sabotage the plan. He jerked away abruptly and resumed his pace with an increase in speed, disregarding the painful throbs at the back of his head.

What was he to do? What could he do now? Everything he had planned was falling apart and he _had_ to let others treat him like some fragile work of art? The mere thought sullied his pride. He was the Commander of Balamb Garden, the Vice-President of Esthar; being in those positions had made him strong, had made him who he was. Squall Leonhart didn't need anyone's pity or compassion or whatever they chose to call it as. He only needed to get his work done.

His surroundings blurred passed him as he stormed away - or was it his vision clouding up again? He slowly came to a stop and brought a hand up to massage his forehead. The headache was getting to him again. He hated not being able to move around as freely as he had always been able to.

Unexpectedly, a whiff of cold night air hit his face; the cool breeze had relived some of his dizziness. He blinked laconically and looked around to see that he had unknowingly wandered to a small garden of sorts. Trees and plants grew in small groups on a carpet of neatly trimmed grass. Several miniature lampposts scattered along the gravel path, trying to fight off the darkness of the night. Their light reflected on a small, rocky pond with murky water. It wasn't the most beautiful thing he had ever seen but nonetheless, he liked this place already. Not to mention that there was no one here to disturb him.

Squall stepped off the gravel path and into the grassy land, walking to the darkest shade of trees. He stood there, cautiously looking around before deciding to end his aimless stroll. He torpidly sat down and lied sprawled under the tree. His attempt to rest never made him any better. He snorted at himself. Hadn't he learned from a day slipping in and out of consciousness? Contrary to popular belief, rest didn't help him at all.

In the serene quietness of the garden, sounds of various nocturnal creatures echoed almost noisily - all went unheard by the brunette. He stared blankly at the dark branches up high, many thoughts clogging up his mind. He was going to die, and he would suffer for another three long months before he finally meet his end. Three months, and he was denied of the only thing that made him who he was. His work was his life; the only life that he knew, and that idiot of a father just had to rip him away from it. He had never felt this much resentment towards that man. It was _his_ life. He had the right to do what he wanted with it.

Suddenly, his sharp sense pulled him out from the ocean of his mind and warned him of a foreign presence treading into his newfound sanctuary.

* * *

><p>It wasn't long before she arrived at the quiet backyard. The scenery was still the same as she remembered it. As she stood on the small set of stairs connecting the garden to the building, she relished the cool breeze that carried a subtle smell into her nose. For some reason, she really liked the soil's smell. It just gave her a natural feeling of sorts. It was times like this that made her feel like she had never had asthma; that she was truly healthy. Excited, she started hopping down the last few steps and lifted her gaze up to the sky above. No, it wasn't so romantic as having stars up there - only one hazy, dark sky. Deling was so polluted that she could barely see any stars her whole life. The waning moon was also clouded.<p>

The girl clasped her hands together behind her back and made her way slowly into the garden, occasionally added a bounce to her steps. The gravel path underneath her shoes crunched with every step she took, and she soon reached her favorite place near the pond. The wind picked up again, this time stronger; it quickly rushed through the treetops, sending a mass of dry leaves swaying in the air. Being in the middle of the falling leaves, it was fun - to say the least. She looked up to see the leaves raining down on her and held out her hands to try catching one. She wasn't very successful though. Considering how there were so many of them, it was a wonder how she could fail.

She sighed and nervously rubbed at her arms. Thank Hyne there was no one here to see how bad she sucked at this catching game. _'So … what do I do now?_' She realized that despite the great impression that the garden had given her before, it was still pretty dull to just stand around and do nothing. Then, her eyes caught sight of something, and she immediately rushed to the rocky edge of the pond. It was a tiny little frog. Being a city girl, Rinoa had never had the chance to see any frogs, and as strange as it sounded, she found this little frog really cute. She stooped down and hugged her knees to balance herself and tried hard to observe the foreign creature with the dim lamplight around her. It seemed to have a motley skin of black and blue, which greatly interested her.

Rinoa stared at its big round eyes, and it stared back at her; it was as if they were establishing some sort of trust. Curiosity grew in her mind, and she reached out to touch the amphibian. Her hand approached the small being slowly, careful to not startle it. Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound behind her. The next moment, she found her hand recoiled instinctively as a pebble flew pass her and hit the ground in front of the frog. If even she flinched then there was no way the frog didn't. Before she knew it, a small plop had echoed from the pond.

She spun around to see who it was. Strangely enough, there was no one behind her; she was sure she was alone in the garden. Her mind took a turn for the worst and she feared she was experiencing some kind of poltergeist activities. She admitted she was never ever good with ghost stories. She tried to stay as still as possible, as if by doing so the _ghosts _wouldn't be able to find her. The garden now held a sudden eeriness that was the least bit welcoming; rapid heartbeats were all she could hear. She darted her eyes towards the many shadows that shifted oddly around her. As her gaze fell onto a dark figure sitting in the shade of the trees, her stomach gave a disturbing churn and brought a gasp out of her mouth. Her heart stopped for just a second before launching into an even more desperate race. It took everything she had to not step backward and follow the frog's footsteps.

'_No, no, there are no such things as ghosts!'_ She brought a hand to her quivering heart, trying to ease her breathing. _'Stay calm, stay calm. You can't have an attack here!'_ She inhaled deeply; her eyes never leaving the taciturn silhouette as she swallowed hard and whimpered inaudibly. Her body calmed down at last, and she could now concentrate on the mysterious person just a few feet away from her.

The figure seemed to be a man's, who had cerulean irises that bore an unearthly glow. Apart from the eyes that gave him away, his entire being seemed to blend perfectly into the darkness of the garden. He exuded an air of utter stealth, like he never wanted his presence to be noticed. For a moment, she was once again afraid she had come across some lingering ghost of a person who was attached to this beautiful backyard. This was a hospital after all.

To her fright _and _relief, the figure stood up and walked towards the gravel path, revealing himself under the pale lamplight. It was a boy, who seemed to be her age. He had unruly brown hair that hung down to his face, slightly shading his right eye, giving him an unruly look. He was wearing Field's pajamas too: a patient like her. Then it hit her at the speed of a Cactuar. _'Has he been here all along? Did he … see me?'_ She thought, recalling her amazing leaf-catching show just moments ago and couldn't keep the blood from rushing to her cheeks. Thankfully, even with the lamps, it was still very dark so she felt less exposed.

The boy held his head high and wordlessly observed her, and she felt herself diminishing under his intense gaze; his mere presence made the wind feel chillier on her skin. He had an expression she couldn't place. His brows were firmly knitted, but his eyes betrayed no emotions. Air left her throat in a pitiful attempt to vocalize the many questions in her mind. She was not only concerned about his sudden appearance, or why he threw the pebble at her, or why he seemed so angry, but also about how he was the best looking guy she had ever seen. _'Oh yeah, nice going Rinoa.'_ She chided herself. _'Of all the time, you decide to drool over boys __**now**__?'_ Rinoa quickly collected herself and placed her hands onto her hips.

"What was that for?" Rinoa finally asked the delayed question with much confidence. She wasn't scared anymore because she now knew there was no kobolds playing with her. She pointed back to the pond behind her. "You threw that pebble, didn't you?"

He continued to eye her as if he had never heard her question. If he was trying to unnerve her … well, he succeeded. Despite looking serenely composed, there was still something very intimidating about the brunette. She mentally shook her head and mustered up more courage to look back at him. It was a silent challenge, and she was determined to win the staring contest. Unexpectedly, he rolled his eyes away in what seemed like a mocking fleer and turned on his heels, heading back into the building.

Her mouth hung opened and she subconsciously dropped her pose of supremacy. She never expected niceties from a moody bum, but _nothing _was just outright rude! As she watched him walking away, her mind hastily debated on her next course of action. She could go after him and demand an answer but would it be too childish? Would it create problematic situation? Again, the last thing she needed was more reasons for the General to lock her up. She should just simply ignore that meanie and continue … doing what? She had nothing to do now that the object of her curiosity had vanished into the pond.

On the other hand, he was the offender here; he was the one at fault for throwing the pebble. She only wanted an explanation, one simple explanation. The debated ended in the matter of seconds, there was no more thinking, only resolve as she started after him. She would get her wanted answer, and _he _would learn about proper etiquette. Rinoa fast pace soon caught up to the guy's sluggish one, and she reached out.

Squall dragged his feet on the gravel path, making the scrunching sound more prominent than ever. He wasn't very keen on staying in this garden now that someone had come, especially when that someone was a girl who had too much energy to spend. Just by looking at her chasing after those leaves … made his weary body even more tired. From the body language she had shown him just now, he concluded she would be very troublesome to deal with.

As he strode away, he was well aware of the girl approaching him from behind but he never showed any sign of acknowledging her. He couldn't care less about what she had to say nor did he want to quicken his pace, because it would look like he was running away - he had no reason to run away. There was also a slim chance that the girl would just pass him by … but something just told him he wasn't that lucky. She had reached him by now, and he was prepared to have her circling around him to stop his trek. What he didn't expect was a warm feeling on his wrist as she wrapped her delicate finger around it and spun him around. Caught by surprise, he let himself be pulled back.

She was stronger than he had anticipated, or maybe it was only his exhausted body giving in, he was made to face her. In that moment, the sudden change of balance made pain flared out at the back of his head and the GFs reacted noisily throughout his veins; his knees bent unwillingly and he collapsed forward. A panicked yell from the girl resounded from his ears, pulling his mind away from his own hurt to concentrate on what was in front of him. To his bewilderment and embarrassment, he found himself towering over the girl on the grass bed. Pearly white skin in contrast with her midnight-black hair - it was even more fascinating than he had perceived it from afar. He noticed how one of his hands was buried in the smooth stream and unwillingly swallowed. For a swift duration of a heartbeat, his mind went blank. Then, he saw her expression mirroring his, however … her rich brown orbs held a shade of fright.

She was scared.

He quickly snapped out his confusion and scrambled away from her. Once again, the abrupt movement hammered his head and he fell to the ground, curling up to endure the pain. The dizziness overwhelmed his senses and he pinned himself down to fight off the swaying gravity around him.

Rinoa hastily sat up and looked at the stranger contorting next to her. Everything that had just happened hadn't fully registered themselves in her head, but her heart understood enough to start a drum roll in her chest. It was only for a few seconds, but she could still remember how his warm frame had hovered over hers, blocking off the cold night wind. And she had noticed the scar that ran down between his eyes; it was a peculiar place for a scar, but she also couldn't help but marvel how it suited his features. Being caged under the body of a man for the first time was frightening, but his similarly surprised expression gave her the least bit of comfort. She could tell he didn't mean to get them into such a position. The discovery also left a small part of her fluttering. He had actually shown _emotion_, genuine astonishment. His scowl, which seemed so perpetual, had disappeared and been replaced with such a deer-in-the-headlights expression.

The brunette uttered out a groan that awoke her from her reverie. She pranced up to her knees and placed a hand to his shoulder, giving him a slight shake. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked, not knowing anything more to say. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. Was he having an attack of some illness? Should she go and call for help? Upon asking herself that question, she got up and was about to launch away when a hand suddenly flew out to grab at her elbow and yank her back. It was the boy; his unfocused eyes fixated on her.

"… Don't." He managed huskily.

"But …" She tried to pry at his hand to no avail, his grip was like a vice - and was getting tighter. "Hey, you need help. Let go of me!" No response. It didn't seem like he would- _could_ listen to reasoning anymore; his body had entered a trembling state and his eyes had squeezed shut. She soon gave up on getting away from the boy and flopped down besides him. Watching him as he tried to contain the pain, she could only cringe. By no means was it a pleasant sight. Fortunately, it wasn't long before his shaking eased and his grip on her loosened. She immediately took the chance to snatch her arm back and check up on it. The area where his hand had been around was hot and red. She wouldn't be surprise if it became a bruise by tomorrow.

She turned back to the boy, who was recovering from his attack. He had rolled to his back and was placing a hand over his eyes, his lips slightly opened to heave out worn breaths. His chest rose and fell as he respired deeply. He ran his other hand through his sweat-dampened hair; his slow movements letting her know he was far from fine. Nonetheless, she cleared her throat soundlessly and broke the silence.

"Are you okay?" Yes, it was repetitive but what else could she say?

His mouth was closed almost instantly and he lifted his arm just a bit to allow himself a view of her. It was like he had just remembered about her existence. His eyes had regained their former distant gleam as they regarded her coldly. Then, he dropped his hand to cover his eyes again and he grumbled. "Whatever."

She raised an eyebrow at him, not that he could see her but … She didn't understand his reply. What did _whatever_ mean? Was it a yes? Was it a no? … Was he even answering her at all? Maybe he was just tired. She shouldn't be too harsh on someone who had just had an attack.

"Maybe I'll go ca-" She started, but was cut off by an immediate "No" from him. Rinoa looked at him. He never moved to looked back at her again. She pouted, pulling her knees closer to her chest so that she could rest her chin on them.

Squall, after giving the nosy girl his curt refusal, went back to suffering the dull after-pain that the surge had caused him. He tried to clear his mind, hoping that it would ease up the nervous process in his brain, thus saving himself from the hurt. But he found it impossible with the presence of the girl next to him. Hadn't she gotten the clue that he didn't want company? His thoughts kept drifting to her, to the position that they had been in. It was such a foreign feeling to be so close to a girl. He had hugged a girl before, he hugged his Sis all the time - more like she hugged him, but nevertheless. This time was different, there was something very, very different.

"Um," he heard the girl said amidst the darkness of his sight. "I'm Rinoa Heartilly. You?"

Her introduction fully captured his attention. _'Rinoa Heartilly? __**That**__ Rinoa?' _He mused. _'Could she be? It could very well be someone else but … Rinoa isn't a very common name.'_

"Geez, did you fall asleep or something?" She paused a bit before continuing. "What happened to you anyway?"

What happened to him? He was more than reluctant to answer the question. In a way, he was never obliged to give an answer, but … "It's something that would kill me soon. That's all." He spluttered out, a part of him was surprised at how normal his tone sounded. There was a small gasp from the girl, maybe from realizing how they had the same situation. She was also going to die soon, according to the General. Was that why he answered her? To find something in common with her? Why would he want to do that? It wasn't like that. It was something about this girl that was getting to him.

"I- I see …" She stuttered, trying to collect her diverging thoughts. He said he would die … soon. Wouldn't that be very scary? _That's all _he said. How could he be so calm about it? Unlike … unlike what? Unlike … who? Who was she trying to compare him to? She had promised herself she wouldn't let herself be bothered anymore.

To her left, she could hear the rustling noise as the boy sat up. She made a mistake to look him in the eyes. His eyes were hard; his gaze fiercely swirled straight at her like a predator cornering its prey. His icy blue eyes gripped at her, and she felt as if some unknown force was grounding her, keeping her from running away, which she should very well be capable of doing.

"Denial." One simple word was vocalized by his deep, sharp voice. It cut right through her like a scalpel, making her flesh crawl with bumps.

"W-what?" She weakly asked, not wanting to believe what her ears had heard.

The brunette continued his observation on the girl and everything he gathered from her expression served as a disappointment for him. What was common between them? Nothing was. She was a coward, she never accepted the fact that … "You are too, aren't you? Dying, that is." He pressed the question with a small smirk. He didn't really get why- or even _what_ he was doing. Breaking the safe haven of a person in denial would do nothing but break her mind, and he was … enjoying it. Some sadistic, sick part inside him was _enjoying _it. Was this brought on by his knowledge of his tumor? He didn't care, he was better off than someone who refused to accept a simple end.

Rinoa's lips trembled as she tried to utter out a nonexistent retort that was stuck in her throat. Who _was_ this guy? Why did he say _too_? How did he know that she was going to die? What right did he have to tell her that she was in denial? He didn't know anything! She didn't have some mysterious illness, she had asthma. The machine had diagnosed her wrongly!

"Th-that's not true." She mumbled, it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself. Her hand habitually reached for the source of comfort resting on her chest, her mom's ring. She realized it was no longer there. Did she lose it? Was the clasp undone when the guy collided into her? Her eyes widened in horror and she frantically looked around for any sign of her beloved necklace. It was dark and she could barely make out her hand on the grass; the chance of finding her necklace was near zero. _'Why? Where is it?'_ She cried out in her mind, the corner of her eyes was getting watery.

"I should have known," the stranger's callous voice shut her out of her dilemma with … yet another one. "I was wondering how you could be so happy-go-lucky with death hovering so near. At the end of the day, you're only in _denial_. Pathetic."

"I am _not_!" Before she could stop herself, her hand had slapped him across the face. Upon realizing what she had done, her whole body quivered and she felt the all too familiar feeling of an attack looming over her. "I … am …" She tried to mutter with what little strength she had left, her voice had risen a note.

The feel of the slap was still fresh on his cheek. He watched the girl take a few steps back onto the gravel path, her hand on her chest. She suddenly broke into a run and headed straight inside the building without sparing him another glance. He was left alone in darkness and silence. Rubbing his swollen cheek, he contemplated about what he had said. Such bitter words, even _he _knew he didn't sound like himself. Whatever mirth that had been inspired by attacking the girl was gone, and all that remained was guilt. He tiredly wiped his face and lied back down, spreading his arms to his side.

A cold object touched at his right arm, making him flinch. He swiftly picked it up and held it out to the light. _'A necklace?'_

Amidst her asthmatic state, she somehow managed to navigate herself to her room in the emergency wing. She impatiently waited for the auto door to open and stumbled inside.

"Rinoa?" A slightly familiar voice said. It was Celeste. "Good news. We are roommates again!" The blonde beamed, but this time, the smile wasn't very contagious for Rinoa as she collapsed to the ground. The security her denial offered was gone, and she felt more scared than ever. What was she to do?

A soft touch landed on her cheek as Celeste's voice gently echoed in her ears. "Rinoa?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Rant: <strong>Finally, they've met! Don't you think it's amazing?

**Raze: Right ... so, why am I here again?**

**Quistis: Yeah, shouldn't Squall and Rinoa be here?**

Haha, well, apparently, they were both too immersed in their roles that they are now sulking in the corner over there and refuse to talk to each other.

**Raze: Okay, so you thought it'd be funny to have me here?**

No, I just wanted to have Quistis, but then it felt kinda lonely so, meh.

**Raze: That's not nice-**

**Quistis: Well, isn't that _nice _of you? But I'm really sad that Seifer hadn't been appearing much lately. I'm worried about our love story.**

Er, er. -Damn, not a good idea having her here.-

**Quistis: Why did you make me so clueless in chapter 3? There could have been so much mo-**

See, he's in the paramedic team, so he doesn't really get involved with dying patients like Squall and Ri- Ouch! Hey, even if you're all emo-ish, I won't forgive characters throwing slippers at me!

Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter, though I have to say, the ending was kinda rushed. I feel I could have make it bet- Okay, I'll stop here.


	7. Of which that Haunts

Okay, I know my sin. It's been far too long since I last updated this. Thank you for still being interested in this story of mine. Hyne bless you. I hope you'll have a good read.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter VI: Of which that Haunts<strong>

"Rinoa, are you okay?" Celeste worriedly placed a hand onto the younger girl's fluctuating shoulder, not daring to apply any force with the touch. Rinoa's breathing was ragged and would escalate into a few strangled coughs. She kept squeezing at her own chest, her unstable figure rigid under some unseen force. In rhythm with each forced breath, there was an eerie wheezing sound. The back of Rinoa's shirt was gradually dampening from excessive sweating and the coughing only got worse every passing moment. The sight scared her.

It occurred to Celeste that it could have been asthma. If this attack was anything like the one that had put Rinoa into this recovery room, then Rinoa was in danger! She looked around in frantic and launched for the emergency button that was installed on the nightstand of each bed. What she hadn't expected was a pair of hands that enclosed around her wrist in a heartbeat. She was abruptly yanked backwards and lost her balance. Alarms blared out inside her mind as she inevitably crashed into the perpetrator behind her, she feared she could have conveniently squishedthe fragile girl.

Celeste jumpily rolled to the side, taking care to withhold as much of her weight as possible. She casted a worried glance over the girl lying next to her. Despite her own condition, Rinoa's grip was almost vice-like, threatening to leave a bruise on the blonde's skin. "Rinoa, let go!" Celeste cried, partly appalled by the strength Rinoa could muster. The only answer she received was a spasm of coughing. Thinking that Rinoa would be distracted by the coughing, she immediately tried to wriggle her hand out. It still didn't work. Rinoa was astonishingly strong for her state.

Just why didn't Rinoa want her to call for help?

In her panic and confusion, Rinoa couldn't help but notice a disturbing fact. Even when she was smothered by her swelling lungs, her consciousness was slow to fade – too slow. She wasn't getting any air, yet she kept coughing, wasting any breaths she might have had. With every second ticking by, the sickening rumbles deep inside her lungs grew thicker, the feeling of breathlessness crushing at her chest became more and more vivid, and she was afraid she might actually die.

Dying. From the back of her mind, the thought had haunted her since the very first attack.

Even though Rinoa knew calling for help was for her own good, she didn't want Celeste to. She didn't need a bunch of unfamiliar doctors to rush in here and confirm that she was beyond saving. She didn't need that. It was already scary enough like this. She had understood why that person didn't want her to call for help. He, too, didn't need anyone reminding him of his condition.

She curled up on the floor, refusing to let go of the wrist she had caught, all the while trying her best to convey her plea to the blonde. She had to rebuild her beliefs somehow and calm down. She was an asthmatic patient, she was supposed to be. But as much as her mind dissent from the reality, a small, tiny voice inside her still whispered the opposite. A part of her had long understood that her sickness wasn't normal.

"_Denial."_ The boy's voice still rang in her ears like a chaotic symphony, throwing her mind into disorientation. She silently cursed him for accusing her when he himself was in denial. He had no right!

Celeste was searching for a mean to somehow push the button that was completely out of her reach, had even considered pulling Rinoa along with her. In the end, she decided not to as it could result in her wrist getting dislocated before she could prove any help to the situation. Out of her wits, she gave up on escaping and turned back to tend to the girl who was in pain. Rinoa was ensconcing herself, and with what little knowledge she had about asthma, Celeste understood this wasn't a good position for the patient. With care, she guided Rinoa to lie on her back and clumsily lifted her chin so that the girl could gain more air passage. As she did so, her ears picked up on something. Amidst the ominous sound of Rinoa's breathing, she could hear broken mutters, so weak they barely escaped their owner's lips. Most of them were incoherent, but from the teary slits that were her eyes, Celeste could tell the girl was trying to assure that she would be fine.

"… Breathe, Rinoa." She mumbled, wrecking her head to think of something useful.

Contrary to the claim, Rinoa didn't seem like she would get any better, only worse. The blonde dreaded that despite everything she was capable of, she didn't think she could help her friend with this predicament. The sight of Rinoa's skin losing its color made her panic, and she attempted to break Rinoa's grasp again, hoping than she could get away to push that red button. She pulled hard, but it was no use. She was stuck.

"I-I'm not gonna call anyone. Okay, Rinoa?" Celeste lied, cupping Rinoa's face with her free hand. "Just let me go so that I can-"

"Qu … tis-" The black-haired girl coughed one last time before she went quiet, and Celeste's stomach dropped.

* * *

><p>It was near lights out so everyone had either left or retreated to their night office. Only he and her, they were on their way to get her patients when she had broken the news to him.<p>

"Seriously? I'm to leave my post here?" He asked in astonishment as they walked down the empty hallway. "And it's not even a paramedic job?"

"Well, the patient's being transferred but his doctor can't," she said in a soft tone that also served to remind him that he should keep his voice down. "And the guy specifically instructed that his replacement needed _only _attitude, so you immediately came to mind."

"I'm gonna take that as a compliment." The blond deadpanned with thinly veiled dissatisfaction. His whole career, though short, has always been on Deling- no, _Caraway's_ land. Plus, the idea of suddenly going back to his hometown after all this time was a little more disquieting than he would have liked it. The place held too many episodes of his past, which he would rather be kept buried forever. He sighed, stabbing his hand through his hair and stopped to turn to his childhood friend. "But the Director actually permitted this?"

Before she could finish sucking in a breath to answer him, he waved his hand dismissively and continued walking. "Ach, scratch that. Of course he did. Who was the idiot that put another idiot in charge anyway?"

"Oh, come on, Seifer." Quistis whispered, quickening her pace to catch up to him. "It's not that bad. Think of it as a vacation. You're only there to keep an eye on the boy, and you get to visit our hometown. Don't tell me, you don't want to go with me?"

"What?" He spun around abruptly and she collided straight into his chest. He easily steadied her with his strong arms and slowly detached her from him. Seifer had completely forgotten about his volume as he exclaimed. "With _you?_"

She nodded, feeling a bit overwhelmed. It had been a while, a _long _while, since they last been this close, probably since the first years of high school. Being so near had brought on nostalgic yet unfamiliar feelings. His chest was wide, firm and warm. She knew it was him but at the same time, it felt strange, foreign, reminding her that he had undoubtedly grown from the impulsive kid she'd once known to a man. The revelation somehow brought a flush of heat to her cheeks, but she didn't shame her title as the Ice Queen of Galbadia's Field, keeping her cool and hastily spoke to make up for the swift delay of her reply. "Yeah, I did tell you I'm also being transferred. Weren't you listening?"

He hadn't been listening. The moment the devastating news had come that she had actively proffered to send him away, he had stopped listening to sulk on the fact. He admitted that was very childish on his part, but he couldn't help reverting back to his younger years when the blonde was involved. No matter how many reasons he listed for hating his transfer, the most prominent problem that didn't sit well with him was that Quistis Trepe wouldn't be there.

"So …" He didn't know what to say as relief and embarrassment washed over him, embarrassment because he had only realized their closeness. "Er-"

"_Is there anyone? Help!" _A muffled voice echoedinside the hallway, breaking whatever atmosphere that had built between them. They shared a swift conversational glance before their doctor reflexes brought them running towards the voice. Although it wasn't very nice, but he actually thanked Hyne that something had happened and saved him from that awkward situation.

* * *

><p>Looking at her friend's unmoving body, Celeste could feel the tears burning at the rim of her eyes. Even when she'd seemingly lost consciousness, Rinoa still refused to let go; her nails only dug further into the blonde's skin. Celeste was frustrated and frightened. She couldn't help and couldn't even go get help. Was she really going to just sit and watch the girl die? She didn't want to give up, but … Rinoa just wasn't breathing. "Rinoa, please. Let go!" She said, hoping Rinoa could hear and would listen to her.<p>

The silence stretched without any response from the black-haired girl. Celeste's gaze fell onto the door. She clicked her tongue and climbed over Rinoa to get to the threshold. After getting the door to open, she stuck her head outside. There was no one around, so she shouted at the top of her lungs. "Is there anyone? Help!"

It wasn't long before she heard a rap of heels and shoes hurrying towards them. Soon two figures emerged from the end of the hallway, and she found it fortunate one of them was Quistis. As Rinoa's doctor, the woman was sure to know what to do.

"Oh Hyne, Rinoa!" The older blonde panicked as she saw who it was on the floor, reaching her two patients even before her colleague, who had been running in front of her, did. She immediately got down to her knees to check up on the black-haired girl, whose eyes were growing hazy. Rinoa wasn't breathing. Quistis almost went into hysteria, but she noticed the grip around Celeste's wrist momentarily tightened. It calmed her a bit to know that Rinoa was still conscious and was reacting to her voice.

"Quistis, I-I tried moving her b-but …"

Quistis didn't know if she should be glad or not. Her ears barely noticed her other patient's stuttering explanation as she cupped her younger friend's cheek, gently running her thumb over the girl's pale skin. Was this how Rinoa looked every time she was inside an ambulance? And she was the one who had let Rinoa's condition progress over the years? The idea filled her with dread. "Oh Hyne, I'm so sorry, Rinoa." She should've come sooner, she should've realized something was wrong when her two patients hadn't shown up at their new room.

"You, get her to let go." Seifer ordered the blond-haired patient, feeling irritated for some certain reason. He had quickly realized the emergency was the exact same girl who had been in his ambulance last night. He didn't save the girl just to have her relapse all over again the day after.

"Does it look like I get to decide here?" Celeste snapped back angrily. Who did the jerk think he was, looking at her as if she was some hindering idiot? But just as she finished the sentence, she felt Rinoa's gripped loosen and successfully slipped her hand out. As if on cue, the crude doctor instantly hooked his arms under the patient and took her inside the room. "Which bed is hers?"

"At the back!" Came the answer from both blonde females.

He hastily but carefully settled Rinoa down onto the said bed and turned to the nightstand right next to it. After punching at the numeric keypad, he yanked open the drawer and fished out the emergency kit specially composed for the asthmatic girl. He grabbed the blower and shoved it at his distraught colleague, confident that she knew what to do. And she did. Her hands, though had been shaky, made firm and precise movement to temporarily supply the girl with air, buying more time for him to prepare the necessary instruments.

Having gloved his hands, he shooed the blonde patient back and took over after Quistis had given the girl one more blow. Rinoa's jaw was stuck in a gritting position, just like last night, but he wasn't about to try intubating her nasally again as it obviously hadn't worked the last time. Instead, he put his hands just below the girl's jaw and gently worked the joints loose to gain passage into her mouth. With memories of everything still fresh in his mind, he still performed a small endoscopy to be sure of where he was going to place the tube.

"Tube!" He said curtly, showing his palm without removing his gaze from the patient. The girl was having agonal respiration. Despite her history with the phase, he still feared this time her body might just give up and these would really be her last gasps of breath. A hand, probably Quistis's, pushed the orotracheal tube into his. He spared the instrument a glance to make sure it was really what he needed and proceeded to slide it into the girl's mouth.

"We're in." Seifer muttered as he emptied the syringe containing the medicine, stepping back to let Quistis fasten the blower to the tube. Then, he nearly ravaged the emergency kit for another syringe, which he may or may not need depending on the girl's status.

"I think she's responding!" His blonde colleague said, running a wireless stethoscope over the patient's chest with one hand while managing the blower with the other.

That didn't mean anything. The slightest of change could be called responding, and in several cases, slight changes wouldn't cut it. He finally spotted the syringe sealed in a plastic bag, lying on one of the trays and was about to grab it when he heard Quistis relieved exclamation. "Rinoa!" Seifer turned to see that the girl's eyes were fluttering open, and though with much hardship, she was visibly breathing. He dropped the syringe immediately, snatching the oxygen mask instead.

As the blonde doctor help her patient up, she eased the tube out as careful as possible. At first, she held the mask to Rinoa's face. She never realized she was holding her breath as she waited for the girl's each and every inhalation. Seifer, now free, performed stethoscopy on Rinoa's back. It felt like an eternity had passed before Rinoa's shaky hand managed its way up to the mask; she could now hold the mask on her own, much to Quistis's relief. Though her breathing still proved difficult, Seifer's expression at whatever he was hearing told Quistis the girl was going to be okay.

"Strange …" She could hear the blond mutter as he appeared to listen in closer. "She's loosening up."

"Isn't that good?" A small voice asked.

"Yes, it is." He snarled, gritting out each word as if talking to a helpless dope. "But this is too fast."

"_So_? Rinoa, I'm glad you're all better." Celeste quipped, then happily exclaimed, finally reminding the two doctors of her existence. The blonde patient was anxiously perching over the foot of the bed, beaming at her asthmatic friend. True to her words, Rinoa was now breathing normally without the help of the oxygen mask, as if she hadn't had any attack at all. However, she still wore a conflicted blank expression; the heavy aura around her was almost palpable.

Seeing this, Quistis felt her motherly instinct rise inside her, and she sat down next to Rinoa, nestling the younger girl's drooping head into the crook of her neck. There was a slight protest but Rinoa soon settled down and started weeping into her chest. She couldn't know what Rinoa was going through, but she understood this was a hard time for the girl.

Seifer wordlessly pocketed his stethoscope, watching the two with a pang of envy. It was untimely, but he was actually hoping to be the one being hugged by Quistis instead. He then felt a soft brush on his hand, before a tug pulled at his sleeve. The blonde patient was leading him outside to give the others some privacy.

They stood on both sides of the door in comfortable quiescence. Neither spoke, until he heaved a sigh.

"You saved a life." The blonde mumbled a reply to his exhale, surveying her injured wrist.

Occupational disease. His back left the wall and he sauntered to the patient, taking out a few band-aids to treat her. "It's what I do."

* * *

><p>"Where have you been, Squall?" Laguna asked as both he and the General turned to look at the boy, who had just entered the room. They didn't seem to be talking, just sitting and drinking … coffee, according to the fragrance that filled the room. The scene gave him no surprise. If he didn't have this tumor, he would also be like them, stuffing himself with as much caffeine as possible. It wasn't just the wicked that gained no rest.<p>

"Out." He half mumbled, half grumbled, minding to keep his temper in check since the guest was still here. Squall had wanted to continue the argument with Laguna, but obviously, his father had kept the General here for more than just company.

Squall stifled a sigh. His newfound sanctuary – the backyard garden, had gotten a bit too cold for him to bear. Before, he had _never _felt cold, not unless he was in Trabia. Resentment towards his illness, towards himself flared anew, yet he couldn't quite find the strength to match up with his brewing anger. His condition frustrated him greatly. He was exasperated, but at the same time too tired – lazy even – to do anything about it. Never had the temptation of a bed pulled him as strongly as now. Squall tried to keep his own person straight in both mind_ and _body, walking carefully towards his bed while appearing as thought he was normal. If he had let slip of any hint that he was in discomfort, the older men showed no sign of noticing. After assessing that the teenager was relatively fine, they resumed the previous silence.

Good. He didn't need meddlesome twenty questions. He didn't even need the quiet company they were offering, but it wasn't like he could just push them out … Correction, he could and would gladly kick Laguna out anytime. He was a tad amused that he still had the mind to conjure up any kind of humor, just a tad.

Finally taking seat on his bed, he just sat there. He still felt reluctant to lie down, afraid that he would wake up to yet another round of head-splitting pain. He admitted that before all this revelation, he had been suffering headaches that yanked him from his rest. He had learnedto expect shallow sleep. However, now haunted by the knowledge of his ailment, with the pain that had increased what felt like ten folds compared to the first time, he'd begun to fear waking up.

That didn't stop his body from demanding rest. Even a part of his fearful thoughts supported the idea. He still felt very lightheaded from his previous spasm, and the encounter with the black-haired girl didn't help; it'd left a bad taste in his mouth in more ways than one. If she truly was Rinoa, as in daughter of Galbadian General, he'd screwed up. If the girl were to hold a grudge and tell her daddy about it, regardless of the General's reaction, Squall would've had risked their alliance.

Surprisingly, that wasn't the thing which bothered him the most. It was guilt. He couldn't shake off the face that she had shown him. She had seemed so hurt, so confused, making him wonder how deep-seated her denial was. Why had he even said those things? He wasn't like that. He had found not just annoyance but ire at the girl's cheeriness, had wanted to vent his bitterness onto a complete stranger and condemn her with dread. He had thought that, as they were both patients, she didn't have the right to be so carefree, while he was sitting in the pit of misery.

Would it happen a gain? Would he sink even lower than now? The questions reminded him that this was just the beginning, that he had plenty of time to discover and maybe even get accustomed to this unknown side of his. He bent forward to place his elbows onto his thigh, hoping to find a comfortable position where gravity wouldn't hurt his throbbing head. There was none. He almost let out a bitter laugh. If there were ever going to be a list of things he should get used to, this pain would get the first line.

He torpidly brought his hands up to wipe over his face, feeling none of his discomfort relieved – whereas it should have been. The action which he had used so many times to get through sleepless nights had proven useless. Of course, what was he expecting? With everything that he was made of, a single illness was all it took to shatter everything that was himself.

"Squall," he made the slightest move in terms of acknowledgement. Laguna and the General were standing to his right, with the former looking quite discomforted. Having gained his attention, the longhaired man continued. "I know this is a lot to take in, but hear me out once more, 'kay?"

He could have scoffed. _Hear me out? _Hadn't everything been decided and he would have to comply whether he wanted to or not? With the General present, Squall could only keep silent, not trusting himself to say anything relatively nice to them.

"Ya gonna be transferred tae Balamb fer some clean air." Laguna said, fumbling with his accent – something he did when deeply troubled. "All ya need is rest, son. And I remember how much ya love Balamb …" Receiving no answer from his son only served to perplex him further. "A-anyways, there's somethin' we wantae ask o' ya …"

"Let me, Laguna." The General interjected, receiving a thankful look from his friend. As someone who wasn't guilty of exiling his own child, he spoke smoothly. "Squall, my daughter happens to be hospitalized here also. Her name's Rinoa Heartilly."

'_Snap!' _Squall thought grimly. Because her last name wasn't Caraway, he'd had hoped that she wasn't who he thought she was.

"She's in a difficult time right now, and I thought a change would be good for her. So, I'm sending her with you to Balamb. This would be her first time outside Galbadian land and I'm afraid I can't be there with her …"

The pause was a tacit cue for Squall to speak. "Don't worry, sir. I'll watch over her." He sat up straight to look straight into the man's eyes; a part of him marveled at his own shamelessness. Watch over her? Even dogs would have done a better job than him at that.

"I'm sure she'll come tae love Balamb." Laguna chimed in, nearly stuttering. However, the General's gaze was locked with Squall, as thought sizing him up. After several subtly tense moments, the stern man smiled wryly.

"I don't think that's enough." After a bit of hesitating, he renewed his confidence and said firmly. "It shames me to ask you this but … I need you to take care of her, in my stead."

Squall nearly cringed. If by taking care of her he meant slapping reality into her face and send her running with tears then yes, Squall had already taken care of her. He even had this silver necklace inside his pocket as a souvenir. Keeping his cool, Squall looked directly into the man's eyes. Despite having shouldered the responsibilities of leadership, Squall was still confounded at how much pressure a personal request could put him under. Nevertheless, he answered: "You have my word, General." Superficial. If he aimed for superficial words, he wouldn't have to think much of it.

"It'd be great if you two become friends." His father said, gently ruffling his hair in encouragement.

'_No chance.' _Squallinwardly sneered. Though the man meant well, it only aggravated Squall. He did not want his head to be touched for two reasons. One, he hated people patting his head and two, it _hurt. _His anger towards Laguna was only fueled further. However, as the General was still here, he could only shove it and take it.

"Well, it's getting late. We'll leave you alone now." The General informed with exhausted eyes, probably thinking about his daughter.

"Oh … ya." Laguna nodded in agreement. "Fury, should we stop by to check on Rinoa? It's been decades since I last saw her."

"Actually, it's only been _one _decade." The other man chuckled with wry humor. "But let's leave that to later. I think she's had enough of me for today … Rest well, Lion." He added before turning to leave.

"Good night, son."

With that, Laguna hurried after his friend, obviously afraid that Squall would bring up a certain subject. That was unneeded though. Squall had realized he was too tired to deal with this.

Careful to not dizzy himself with sudden movement, he inched further onto his bed and brought his legs up to fully sit on the mattress. After much reluctance, he finally laid down on the bed, hissing at the pain that flared out with the change of position. When his body had settled down, he literally didn't want to move a muscle, not even to climb under the blanket and relieve himself from the chilliness.

The dull pain gnawed at his head, refusing to let him truly rest. If he closed his eyes, he would only amplify his senses to suffer more. The GFs he had junctioned buzzed silently, creating electrical pulses that ran down his spine and spread through his whole body. The familiar gentle tingling slowly lulled him into darkness.

* * *

><p>"… was what she said." The blonde female doctor was on the phone, being quite careful to lower her voice.<p>

In the dark recuperative room, the young asthmatic girl was fast asleep on one side of her bed. She was lying on her side, in a slightly ensconcing posture as she breathed deeply and evenly. It seemed that all the tenseness from before had gone by.

Celeste was on the other side of the bed, lying adjacent to the younger girl. Watching Rinoa's peaceful expression made her feel nostalgic. She used to sleep in the same bed with her sister like this.

"Both of you are making things hard for me." Exhaustion was evident in Quistis's tone as she removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. Celeste could only cringe in shame. She understood that the older blonde didn't mean any scorn, but hearing it made her feel guilty nevertheless.

Yes, as some would say, Celeste was faking sleep in order to eavesdrop.

The doctor fell into silence, listening to what the person on the other side was saying. In the dead of the night, Celeste could hear fragments of the man's speech. His voice, though slightly altered by the phone's speaker, still held a distinctive low ring to it. She wished he would just turn up and talk to her directly, not control her through other people. It would be fine even if they argued.

"… _transfer …" _She heard that single word and froze. He couldn't mean …

"Look, it's not that I can't do it, but you _do_ know she's gonna throw a tantrum." Quistis answered with a frustrated sigh. "I'm caught in the middle and it's not pleasant. … I'm afraid not. She's sleeping. … Um, because she's right behind me? …" The doctor sounded unsure, then suddenly jolted and turned around to meet with a pair of blue orbs. The blonde girl, taken by surprise, was unable to resume her façade in time. "Hyne, you really _are_ awake. Good Hyne-" Quistis exclaimed, placing a hand to her forehead. "Look, I didn't really mean …" She muttered without her usual composure as the younger girl sat up.

"No … I _am_ at fault." Celeste said with an uneasy smile.

"… Yes, as you said, she is eavesdropping." Quistis said into her phone before offering it to Celeste. "Here."

Oh, so now he thought he could convince her. Reluctantly, Celeste accepted the device and brought it to her ear. However, words had difficulty forming at her lips. The silence stretched. She was distracted by the sound of his breathing, until he suddenly cleared his throat and snapped her out of her reverie. _"Ciel?" _He asked.

Flustered, it took a while before she could gather herself to reply. "Yes … I'm listening." And to think she meant to say something witty.

* * *

><p>Wide meadows of green and jagged ranges of mountains, dark forests and mysterious caves, unpaved lanes and a peaceful pastoral village. A distinctive smell of the poultry, friendly people. This was the place of his childhood that had etched into his mind like a tattoo.<p>

She wasn't at the pub, so he ran to the field of white, where he knew she would be watering her flowers.

She was immersed in her work and didn't notice him coming, so he called out to her. She turned around and smiled at him, a smile that had never failed to give him assurance. He ran up to her, intending to show her something he'd just carved out of wood, only to realize she wasn't tending to any flower. It was an ominous black stone, a gravestone to be precise. In an instant, her smile was wiped off and replaced by a shocked expression. Murky red blotches burst out from her ivory-white sweater, dyeing his vision in crimson. Frightened to the very core, he stood frozen in horror and watched wide-eyed as she fell to her front, revealing a burly silhouette standing not far away behind her. The sight of a massive gun in the man's hand slapped him out of his stupor, and he managed one measly step back before tripping over his own foot.

Several more men converged as the soldier started towards him. The man raised his leg to walk over her body. As his foot hovered above her head, his body morphed, and a bony arm trampled over her instead. The rest of the men's shadowy figures gathered to form what you would call Death. Without a lower body, it crawled a sinuous line towards him, dragging its lethal scythe through the now withering flower field. Its hollow eye sockets bored into him, its bloodstained hand reached out to touch him, so close he could smell the fetid odour emanating from what was left of the decomposed skin.

"_You're next." _A deep, reverberating voice wheezed almost amusingly. _"Come."_

"No …" He squeaked, shaking as if every cell in his body could understand the menace. Unable to move, he could only sit there as the putrid hand encased him, crushing his head. It hurt. He was going to die.

"_Come …" _The voice insisted sweetly with its shrilling pitch. _"Come on … Come!"_

"Come on! Fucking wake up already!" He heard the crude words as he felt his very grounding was yanked away from him. For a swift instant, he felt his head was abruptly pulled to a lower height before it hit a soft surface. Being as _soft _as it was, a splitting pain still jolted past the insides of his head. Instinct took over before he could even understand what was going on, and when he was finally aware of his own person, he found himself curled up on the bed, hugging his throbbing head to protect it from anymore harm.

"Shit, so it's like this. My bad." The unfamiliar voice apologized without a molecule of remorse.

Time oozed by, it felt like forever before the pain subsided and Squall could lift himself off the mattress. Just great. For once, he didn't wake up from a headache and this had to happen. Although still groggy and disorientated, Squall ordered himself to rise and acknowledge the person in a white lab coat, who was sitting nonchalantly while picking dirt from his nails.

"Oh, finally up, huh, Commander." With a smug smirk, the blond saluted him. "Give my condolence to your biological clock. Did you discard of it when you left to indulge yourself in Esthar's luxury?"

"Seifer." Squall addressed the man through gritted teeth, enduring the aggravating pounding in his head. "What the hell are you doing here?"

It had been eight years since he last met a teenage Seifer as an apprentice doctor in Balamb Garden, but there was no way he wouldn't recognize him. The unmistakable haughtiness that ran in his blood vessels, the shamelessness that sat deep in his flesh and bones, and the scar mirroring Squall's. This was, without a doubt, Seifer Almasy, a rival from his past. Seifer had been good at both swordplay and medicine, and Squall could never stand his cockiness. But of course, it should be different now, Squall was a lot stronger than when he was ten.

"Well, obviously not to give you an X. I know I'm too old for that now. After you left, I haven't lifted Hyperion in years." The man shrugged, throwing a pillow at him. Squall quickly caught it and realized it was his own pillow. _'Bastard.' _That was no way to wake up a patient with a tumor in his head.

"Answer the question, Seifer." Squall demanded. He hadn't the patience for the blond's word games.

"Alright, alright. Still no respect for your seniors." Seifer waved his hand uncaringly. "Ain't it obvious from my garb, Mr. Patient? I'm here to fulfill my romantic dream, which is to be a doctor. _But. _Seeing as I'm _your _doctor, it's not so romantic anymore."

What? Squall masked his surprise just in time and growled. "Stop spouting nonsense. Hecatomb's my doctor." Although he didn't like that canine weirdo, the guy was way better than Seifer.

"Because of your transfer, the guy wanted out." The blond stood up and approached him. Squall jerked away from Seifer's hands, but ended up being grabbed by the ears. With a forceful pull, Seifer brought Squall's face closer to his and stared hard into his eyes. "Eesh, you look horrible." He commented swiftly as his fingers press along Squall's nape. "The contract is signed and sealed. I babysit you for three months. No more, no less."

"And if I want you replaced?"

"Gotta get his recommendation, then."

Despite the fact that Seifer's massage was making his fatigued body feel slightly better, Squall had more pride than that and wouldn't allow the blond to help him any further, _and_ he simply didn't like people touching anywhere near his head. He brushed Seifer's hands away and climbed down from the bed, swaying on his feet as they touched the ground. Before Seifer could even consider extending a helping hand, he had straightened up and walked towards the sliding door. For the short moment that he waited for the door to open itself, he heard Seifer say behind him:

"I see you, room 19 at the end of hall A."

Squall furrowed his brows and left.

There would be a point in life when the most fucked up things just gather and make your life shit, and Squall was at that point of his life. Fatal illness, getting exiled from the country he'd poured his all into, being stripped of all titles and scumbags dressing up as doctors acting all superior in front of him. There was no way he was going to spend his last three months with that bastard telling him what to do. By all means, even if he had to put a blade to that damned doctor's neck and threaten him, Squall would get Hecatomb to either reassume his position or replace Seifer with someone else.

As he dragged himself towards the front lobby, maneuvering according to the few fragments of the blueprint remaining in his fuzzy memory, he slowly came to realize that he was acting too rash. The sudden movements he had been making were taking their toll, and his vision was starting to split and shake. Although his hearing informed that the number of people around him were less than his eyes was projecting, he still knew there were many present in the lobby. He wasn't about to collapse in front of them all. _'Must … keep it together.'_

Walking down a hallway, which had somehow convinced him that it would lead him to the ICU, he imagined his posture must have been similar to an animate corpse's. Sluggish, mussed hair, head slightly hung, drooping shoulders … He didn't care anymore.

He seized his pace and looked out the large windowpanes that ran along the hallway. It was morning, not very early, but not late, either. A fairly nice morning with its sunshine and green foliages. He had always wished for a scene like this back in Esthar, after sleepless nights. But now that the wish had finally been granted, he only had three months to live without hope, without purpose. Sighing, he resumed his track and … He could feel it coming, a certain burning sting that ran through his tear glands. Squall brought a hand up to his eyes and carefully kneaded them. His other hand groped along the wall and detected a corner, so he made a turn along it. His limited vision reading a sign somewhere that stated 'A'.

"Squall?" He heard a familiar voice and his head perked up, locking eyes with a certain doctor. In that instant, water trickled down his cheeks. _Water. _Because he was _not _crying! Sure, the liquid was flowing freely from his ducts, but he wasn't crying.

The dark-haired doctor had his hand on a door at the end of the hall they were standing in, momentarily petrified at the sight of his ex-patient's helpless look. "… Well, I can guess what you're here for. Come in first." Despite not having the best expression to back up his grin, Raze showed no hesitation in baring his fangs. The guy gestured for Squall to come along and opened the door to go inside.

Inside room 19, Squall was told to use the bathroom and fix himself up. Raze then turned to check up on the patient occupying the room.

Glad to be out of sight in his current state, Squall half-lunged for the bathroom and shut himself in. He stood with his back to the mirror, waiting for the tears to stop. This was the second time already, but it was still a strange experience. As if someone had poured a bucket of onion juice into his eyes while he was too dense to feel burnt, and only his ducts were reacting to the stimulation.

He used his shirt's sleeve to dry up the last of the tears and turned to face the mirror. He looked awful, like Seifer had stated, but actually not as bad as he had expected. He was pale, with bloodshot eyes and slight dark circles. His hair was pointing to numerous directions, making him wonder why he hadn't scared away everyone he'd walked by. Well, nothing water couldn't fix. He cleaned his face, brushed back his hair with a simple comb of his own fingers and straightened up his wrinkled clothes. Satisfied that he was looking more _human, _Squall left the bathroom.

The doctor was bending over the female patient, who seemed to be sleeping. There was a sly grin on his face as he looked down at the girl. … Somehow, the scene felt wrong.

The girl seemed to be in her teens, had long silky black hair and pale white skin. If she had awoken from her slumber, she showed no sign of it, not even a single twitched eyelid. There were a handful of tubes inserted to her body, the kind one would find themselves with if they were bedridden.

"You show abnormalities upon waking. You should tell that to the guy in charge of you, he'll think up ways to lessen it." Raze said as he cupped the girl's face, breaking a silence that Squall hadn't noticed was there.

_The guy in charge. _Squall didn't like how Raze had put that. No one was in charge of him. But he wasn't here to argue over usage of words. Slowly, he sat down on a nearby chair. "Why aren't you the guy, then?"

"Oh, miss me already?" Raze smirked, but Squall couldn't care less about his lame jokes right now. Gaining no reaction from Squall, Raze dropped the farce and shrugged. Bringing his face down close to the patient's chiseled features, he started stroking her ears, cheeks, then his hands headed south, towards her neck. Then, he gently lifted her up and … hugged her close.

Should the guy be doing that to a patient, Squall wondered. He kind of figured Raze was her care giver, but this was quite blatant harassment. However, the girl hadn't had any kind of waking up, even when Raze was lifting the hem of her pajama shirt. _'Comatose?'_ If looked more closely, it could be seen that Raze was actually trying to check the skin on her back. Okay … Squall still felt that there was something _very _wrong about this.

"Can't follow you to Balamb, boy. Gotta take care of this sleeping beauty." Raze said with a hint of a sigh as he let the girl down. For once, the guy wasn't smiling.

Great. He came here, so dead set on threatening the doctor back to his position, and now, all his determination had vaporized. He massaged his forehead and grunted. "Recommend someone else. He … lacks the professional attitude."

"Well, seems like I picked the perfect man for the job." Raze's grin returned as he peeled the blanket from her body to check on her arms and legs.

"Perfect, my foot." Squall grumbled.

"I'm not changing my decision. Oh, but if you can make him resign then I can't say anything about that."

Would he have come here if things were so easy? Make _Seifer, _of all people, back off? Squall could have achieved world peace before succeeding in doing that. What could he do to Seifer? Threaten? He would only make a joke out of himself in front of Seifer. Authority? Even security guards had more authority than him in this place, not that Seifer would give a damn about it. Money? … Making him miserable was already enough payment for Seifer.

"Why him?" He demanded.

"… I figured it has to be someone you can't intimidate." Raze looked at Squall for a moment before answering. He then picked up his notebook and started trotting something down. "You're quite persistent on this, Squall, and I get the feeling it's more personal than professional. Have you two met before?"

Squall ignored the question. He didn't feel comfortable about being read, although he was at fault for being an open book. He _was_ being too desperate in trying to sack Seifer. "… Isn't there someone else?"

"None that I can trust."

'_What does trust have anything to do with this?' _Squall exhaled in aggravation. "Then _you_ do it." Sure, he was being selfish, but he wholeheartedly did not want Seifer to be his doctor. His pride has already been hurt enough with the knowledge of him being under someone's care. Hyne forbid, if he had to be cared for by Seifer, his pride might just crumble to dust.

Raze snickered for a moment, but then stopped, losing any mirth he might have had. "Can't." The doctor swiftly shrugged, fixing the girl's pillow.

Squall frowned. This was going nowhere. Why was this guy so obsessed with this particular patient? Why wasn't the girl being cared for by a female therapist? Surely that would've been more convenient.

"I can entrust you with someone, but as for this princess here, I trust no one." Raze added as if reading Squall's mind.

Perfect. Dr. Hecatomb had more than just a little crush with his patient. With a sigh, Squall pushed off the chair and excused himself, quickly leaving the doctor with his work he so loved. It was obvious he was stuck with Seifer now … Maybe he would die before his illness even got to him.

* * *

><p>Too free.<p>

Squall felt excruciatingly inhibited as he sat and watched the day pass. The only eventful thing he'd done was changing out of the hospital's pajamas and put on normal clothing. Why? Because just as he'd finished doing so, Ifrit had started acting up for some reason and set his bed on fire. Thus, the smoke sensor had kicked in and blessed him with a cold shower. And he'd realized one simple fact, it wasn't too wise to junction when his very brain was malfunctioning.

He grunted, slowly lying down on the grass carpet of the backyard garden. Time had oozed by slower than an adamantoise crossing Mt. Talle, and every second wasted immerged him further down the bottomless pit of dread. He could have done so many things, yet he was stuck in this stupid hospital to be a good-for-nothing. If he was going to die anyway, why couldn't they just let him make the best out of his time left? Why couldn't Laguna think of the big picture?

He dug his fingers into his hair, sighing. Just what he wouldn't give to be able to work again.

He closed his eyes. Because he was afraid of the pain, he hadn't taken a nap like he was told to and hid out here. Squall swallowed and sighed again. It was already getting dark. Regardless of he wanted to or not, he would have to give in to sleep soon. Not to mention his stomach, which, like him, had been in a foul state from lack of its daily work routine. He hadn't eaten anything after his breakfast hadn't gone down properly. He feared he'd come to be afraid of food intake also. However … His stomach rumbled silently, and he narrowed his eyes. Trying to survive with only water in his condition would be too much. He might have neglected his nutrition more than occasionally before, but when he still had his work to distract him, it didn't feel this bad. He placed a hand onto his growling abdomen. His anorexia would have to stop, unless he wanted to die.

'…' Maybe he should die. There was no more point in living anyway. Spending one day pointlessly was already hell, he couldn't even begin to imagine what his next three months would be like.

Suddenly, the pain flared up. _'No, not again.' _Squall pleaded in his mind, hugging his head. He remembered something and reached into his pocket for the tablets he'd been given. After hastily popping them out of the blister pack, he threw them into his mouth and crushed them with his teeth before swallowing. Before long, he was once again condemned in pain. He gritted his teeth as he curled up on the grass, squeezing the remaining pills in his hand. These were supposed to help him. _'Come on, work.'_

The pain stopped at last, maybe sooner than the last times, maybe later, he couldn't tell. Maybe the medication had helped, maybe it hadn't, but he couldn't care less. He was just glad it was over. Ignoring the acrid taste lingering on his tongue, Squall tried to relax his tensed muscle, slowly releasing the crumpled blister pack in his hand. He let out a breath as his hazy gaze fell onto the ring on his finger. Griever, the symbol of his mother's family, a mighty lion.

His brows drew together in bitterness as the rims of his eyes tingled. There were still so many things he had to do. Why was he in this pathetic state? Why was he so damned weak? He was supposed to make Esthar prosper and ensure peace with Galbadia. He was supposed to protect that place from his childhood. Yet this illness, this body … Squall violently yanked the ring off and threw it across the garden.

"Hey!" Squall heard someone shouted to his left. The feminine shriek startled him, and he immediately pivoted his head to see who it was. Just as he met with a pair of upset, angry brown eyes, his lachrymal glands overflowed.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: <strong>I don't even know for how long this chapter has been sitting in my computer. I'm glad I finally polished it enough to present it to you guys. And I managed to stop at 8k+ words. Yay me!

Sometimes I wonder if I'm going to far with their psychological progression and illnesses. If there's anything that doesn't sit well with any of you, don't hesitate to be blunt about it.

**Rinoa: Ri~ght, and if no one says anything, you're just gonna keep abusing us, right?**

Uhm, that's kinda inevitable. (=o=")

**Squall: I don't actually care ...**

Ah, Squall, you understand m-

**Squall: But I don't like how I keep groveling on the ground and crying in front of people. It's humiliating.**

... (=_=) So you actually _do _care, don't you? _*mumbles*Hateful, unsympathetic, ungrateful good-for-nothing.*mumbles*_

**Squall: What was that?**

Nothing. (●´∀｀●) Hahaha~

**Rinoa: So when am I gonna get my ring back?**

... Maybe soon.

**Rinoa: When will Squall stop disliking me?**

I ... I'm not sure.

**Squall: You're useless. You don't know anything.**

O-of course I do!

**Squall: Then when will Rinoa and I get together?**

W-well-

**Rinoa: When and how exactly will I die?**

I-I can't-

**Squall&Rinoa: When are you gonna finish this story?**

I DON'T KNOW! Sheesh! Nag nag nag ( =д=). That's it, you two are not here anymore!

... Finally, some peace and quietness. I've been way too lenient, dotting on them. Phew ... Good day, thank you for putting up with my antic. See you on the next update.


	8. Third Time's a Charm

Okay, so … it seemed like a nice day, or _date _to upload a new chapter … it still does.

Many thanks to those who's reviewed when I was gone, sorry that I can't thank you privately, it feels weird to do so now after months of silence. The writer block for this story is gone, I've kinda worked out what I want to do with it. Yes, I've changed the summary again because of that, hopefully this will be the last time. Now, enough of me, enjoy the continuation … if you can still remember what's happened that is.

The POV in the first scene switches a lot though, I hope you can tell whose it is.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter VII: Third Time's a Charm <strong>

"… Ah …" Rinoa's lips parted in a daze as she back-stepped once. She blinked at the sight before her, at a loss for words.

The boy, _that _boy was … crying?

She had come to this backyard in hope to look for her mom's precious memento, only to find the bully from last night already lying there on the grass. She had watched him from behind a tree, waiting for him to leave, but it didn't seem like he would anytime soon. She was torn between leaving and coming out to talk to him. Rinoa felt she had a score to settle with him, but at the same time, was afraid she would have to hear his harsh belittlement all over again.

"_Pathetic." _He'd said with eyes that gave his words a chilling weight. Definitely, if possible, she wanted to have nothing to do with him.

However, when she'd seen him throwing something with a metallic glint away, she couldn't stop herself from shouting at him. Yet when he'd turned around he just started crying.

It was unthinkable. Rinoa tried to convince herself that she was merely seeing things. She refused to believe that someone like him would actually cry. _'Y-yeah, it's getting kinda dark in here as well'_, she thought. Just then, all the lamps in the garden lit up, and any dubiety she had was erased in an instant. His tears were practically flowing; he was crying for real.

Under the exposure of the light, the boy snapped out of his daze and immediately turned away, hastily wiping his cheeks with his sleeve. She guessed he didn't want a stranger to see him so vulnerable, especially a stranger whom he'd demeaned just yesterday.

The situation had taken a very awkward turn. He was crying. What should she do? Should she leave? Consoling him was out of the question, but to just walk away now … _'No, Rinoa. No. You cannot postpone the search any further.' _She told herself firmly and made herself stay.

Squall was beyond flustered. He mentally cursed his own condition. What kind of joke was this? Just how many more times did his illness have to ruin his dignity in front of people? And to think he'd been seen in this miserable state by the General's daughter.

Since when had she gotten here? For how long had she been watching him? Squall breathed out, covering his eyes. He'd been so immersed in his own thoughts that he hadn't even realized he was being spied on. _'Careless.' _Though he had no GF junctioned, that wasn't a good enough reason for his laxity. There was no guarantee the information of his being here in this hospital, completely unguarded and defenseless, hadn't been leaked. He had to be more cautious, unless he wanted to give his enemies the pleasure of slaying him. Well, it wasn't like he wasn't going to die already. He could only imagine how ecstatic those roaches would be when they hear he'd gone and kicked the bucket without them having to do anything.

He stopped trying to dry his face, accepting how futile the action was proving to be, and lowered his hand to catch the droplets that were dripping from his chin. Looking at the harmless tears in his palm, his brows slightly drew together. Randomly turning on the waterworks like this was ridiculous, but a part of him actually welcomed it. This was the only symptom that didn't physical hurt him.

A minute or so ticked by, and finally, the crying came to an end. He wiped away the traces of tears left on his face and … scowled. That girl was still here, standing just a few steps behind him. _'Just why hasn't she left?' _He was momentarily puzzled, but then decided that she was just there to laugh at his pathetic state and indulge her ego. A kind of payback for yesterday, he supposed.

Squall swiftly closed his eyes, then turned to face with the girl.

She seemed to flinch the moment he did so, yet stood her ground. There was something in the way she stared back at him that roiled him, and he changed his gaze into a glare. Even then, the girl still wasn't leaving. Couldn't she tell that he didn't want company?

"What do you want?"

Rinoa's heart almost burst through her ribcage when the boy suddenly raised his voice. Perturbed, it was only moments later that she was able to fully comprehend that she was being asked. … That didn't mean she had an answer. _'What do I want? … What __**do**__ I want?' _She couldn't believe that everything she had planned to say to his face had all vaporized into nothingness just because he cried. Not to mention his gaze. His ashy gaze seemed to put a certain density in the atmosphere that effectively choked her words, and the scar between his eyes only served to his intimidating demeanor.

Was the crying boy just now an illusion?

'…' Squall stared at the girl, feeling his mood turning foul, not that it hadn't been already. What was this girl doing? Was she just bothering him for fun? He looked back in front, bending his leg to rest his arms on. "Leave."

"W-What …" No longer seeing him face-to-face, she quickly regained the small piece of intelligence she had lost and snapped back. "I-it's not like you own this place. You can't tell me what to do. And I'm just here to look for my pendant."

"… Pendant?" He repeated without turning to her.

"Yeah, the pendant that _you_ …" Rinoa halted, considering her options. She fumbled with the many words ranging from nice to relatively rude in her mind and took a deep breath, tapping on her chest. "I mean, it's a ring, actually. … I think I dropped it around here yesterday. Have you … maybe seen it?" She was going to accuse him, but refrained. She'd rather not tick him off and have another taste of his debasing treatment.

'… _So she thought I …' _Squall trailed off in his head. _'Damn. And I've actually gone and done it.' _

About the ring-pendant-whatever, he knew he should give it back like any normal person would. Yet, amusingly, there was a small debate going on in his head, about whether or not he should withhold returning it for a while, just to … be mean? In a way, he didn't want to give her the pleasure of regaining her ring, as he had yet to regain his. Granted, he'd been the one who'd thrown it away, but still … he just wanted to be mean.

The boy remained silent, staying so still that it was almost scary. Was he ignoring her again? Had he ever been punched for his attitude? Because she really wanted to do so. However, just as a smart quip was about to depart from her mouth, he suddenly started rummaging in his pocket. "… Here." He took out something and threw it at her.

"Eh?" She clumsily caught the small object, nearly dropping it. As soon as Rinoa realized what it was, her eyes went wide; she hadn't expected this. Her most cherished pendant, which she'd thought lost forever, was lying safely in her hands. She could feel the rims of her eyes stinging slightly. A wave of relief washed over her, sweeping all of her animosity away in a heartbeat. Filled with gratitude, she lifted her gaze to him, only to meet with steel cold eyes. He was looking at her over his shoulder, his sharp gaze harboring a stifling aura that spoke 'Now, get lost'. Then, he swiftly turned his back to her again.

She raised an eyebrow at his back, wondering if he was always this intense. _'Geez, living like that must be really tiresome. … Well, none of my business.'_ Rinoa shrugged and proceeded to put the necklace on. The feeling of a familiar weight resting just below her collarbones gave her assurance, bringing a small smile to her lips. She ran her thumb over the ring's smooth surface. Just this little action calmed her. She wasn't even angry at the moody bum over there anymore.

'_Hm? Then, what did he throw away?'_

Rinoa let her gaze drift as she pondered on the matter. As she watched the unmoving boy, she finally noticed that he had changed out of the hospital pajamas, wearing dark-colored jeans and a loose-fitting black shirt, which was much like her choice of clothing. She had on her favorite black tank top with tight jeans. At that, a funny thought crossed her mind about how they could pass as a couple. The lighthearted comparison somewhat diluted her bias against him. Thanks to the first impression he'd given her, she hadn't had many nice labels for him, but still, she knew she'd been too presumptuous when she said he was incapable of crying; she didn't even know him. A human, no matter how tough, would still go through emotional times. … She'd seen it before. Rinoa tightened her lips and focused her thoughts back on the boy. '_Yesterday too …' _She wanted to make sure what type of person he was.

She mustered up her courage and started. "He-" Her resolution was short-lived as her words were cut off by the boy, who suddenly stood up and looked around with a harried expression. She reflexively slapped hands to her mouth when he casted his gaze in her direction, as though it could hide the fact that she'd just tried to call out to him. To her relief, and a tad of annoyance, she realized he wasn't paying her the least bit of care, but instead was scanning for something in the area around her feet. There was a sort of a grunt from him before he spun around and walked further into the garden.

Rinoa let out a sigh and dropped her hands to her sides, shaking her head. She should stop being so jumpy.

She watched the boy's figure as he almost ransacked the bed of grass from place to place, his actions gaining more and more inertia as seconds passed, before he stopped completely to put a hand to his forehead. Was he …? Rinoa raised an eyebrow, her gaze quickly catching sight of something he'd left behind on the grass where he'd sat just now.

Squall was utterly appalled and indignant at his own foolishness. Surely, he hadn't realized how bad of a situation this was until now. Just what had he done? Kneeling on the ground, he clicked his tongue and pushed back his drooping bang in frustration. The vertigo his rash movements had brought on was whittling away his patience. Squall darted his gaze around as far as it could go without him having to turn his head and noted once more about how poorly lit and wide this place was. He could already see it was hopeless. The thought only fueled his irritation. There was absolutely no excuse for throwing the ring away like that. The thing could have bounced to anywhere, the grass and bushes weren't helping. He didn't even have any idea in which direction he'd thrown it to for a start.

"Hey, you okay?" Someone approached him from behind, causing him to flinch. It was only the General's daughter, who knelt down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. _'Do I look okay?' _He frowned at the contact and was about to brush her off when he was presented with the crumpled bristle pack he'd left behind. He blinked, slowly lifting his gaze up to meet with hers.

"Do you need it?" She asked with what seemed like concern, making him wonder again why she still hadn't left already.

'_Hope not.' _Squall thought, remembering the unappetizing taste of the pills.

He only replied with a mumbled 'no'. Taking the medicine from her hand, he quickly pocketed it and turned away, refocusing on the matter at hand: the ring. As his fingers raked hopelessly through the grassy surface, he could feel the girl's stare on his back. It made him very uncomfortable. He had this hunch that she would-

"What are you looking for?"

… Open … her mouth.

Squall narrowed his eyes, partly marveled at how accurate his intuition was. He disregarded it, however, and continued with his search.

"If you tell me, I can help you look for it, you know." She offered.

He didn't want to be helped, especially not by her. It was far too awkward already after what happened yesterday. Although he'd given the General his word, he just wanted to … postpone becoming her acquaintance for a little longer because of some complex reasoning going on in his head.

Squall groaned in his throat, contemplating about what he should do. He figured he could just dismiss the girl, but judging by how persistently she was behaving, he didn't think that choice would end on a good note.

"Is it that thing you threw away just now?" The girl spoke up, breaking him from his thoughts.

Squall kept silent.

"Is it something small?" She pressed, but he said nothing still.

"Is it something round?" She asked again. "Like a ring."

'…' Squall slowed, feeling that something was amiss.

"Does it have a monster engraved on it?"

'_What?' _Squall spun around in disbelief, registering the sight of the girl holding out a certain object to him when his sense of balance went awry. The vertigo assaulted him in full force, and before he even realized it, his back had hit the moist ground behind. His vision became blotched, contorting everything in it. He blinked once, twice and thankfully, recovered on the third time, only to find the girl's face staring down at him. She was stooping on his left, a hint of worry was evident on her wary countenance.

"… You …" Rinoa hesitated, looking for something more sensible than the overused 'okay'. People almost never were when asked such. "… Seem to get disorientated easily, huh. Is this your illness?" She forced a smile.

"None of you business." The boy said defensively as he pushed off the ground. As soon as he got to a sitting position, he held out his hand expectantly.

'_What the …'_ She thought, slightly annoyed. That was no way to ask.

The boy grimaced at her lack of reaction to his demanding gesture and reached for the accessory himself. Rinoa's lips curved upwards as an idea popped into her head. She brought the hand holding his ring away out of his reach, wagging a finger. "Ah, ah. Not so easy. Tell me your name first."

He scowled, his jaw hardening, and wordlessly lunged for the ring. She was surprised, yes, but mere reflex helped her turn sideways just in time. The boy's hand only brushed the back of hers before he dropped quite pitifully onto the ground, hugging his head in great discomfort. His illness sure was tedious, he got hurt from the slightest of jerks. Rinoa knew she wasn't supposed to, but she found the situation funny, and a giggle managed to escape her lips. The aggravated brunette heard it and glared up at her, cutting her amusement short.

Rinoa instantly pressed her lips together and gulped. The sharp gleam in his eyes was cutting in to her with something like hatred, making her cower. He looked so piqued that she was convinced her best course of action now was to obediently give his ring back and scutter away real quick while the last bits of his gallantry was still intact. Which was why, it was a surprise, a _very big _surprise when he just looked away and spat curtly. "… Squall."

Rinoa blinked, eyeing him questioningly, trying to process what had just happened. Squall? Was that, like … the verb or the noun? … Was that his current feeling laconically put in one word? Or had he meant he wanted to … _squall … _because she was being a meanie? … Okay, who was she trying to kid? That was his name, right? He'd just given her his name. He'd just. Given her. His name! So easily, too, despite having kept his mouth as hard as rock before.

"Now, give it back." He demanded, showing her his palm again.

'…' She took a moment to think, then suppressed a smirk. "Well then, _Squall_." She said, rolling the ring between her fingers; a part of her impressed by how well-suited his name was. He really did feel like a 'Squall', one with lots of snow and gale. "Say please, with my name. It's Rinoa, if you've forgotten."

The boy clicked his tongue. "… Please …" He hesitated with gritted teeth and finally said. "… Rinoa."

Rinoa blinked. She'd been _prepared _to toy with him a bit more because she did know the request just now was a bit too much, but what was this? This unwillingly compliant attitude was kind of cute, but … "Wow, you complied a bit too easily. Is this important?"

"…" Squall growled, feeling the hot blood pumping towards his head, which made the intensity of the headache leap to a new level. He came here for peace and quiet, how had he gotten himself into this _fucking_ situation. The girl was wearing this look of triumph on her face; it pissed him off. She should be glad she was a female, she should be glad that her father had his words. He wouldn't have to tolerate her to this extent if not for the fact that he would be 'Squall Leonhart – the babysitter' tomorrow.

In all honesty, he was beginning to doubt his ability to be her guardian in the future. If anything, he might 'take care of her' in a very different meaning.

"… A memento." He said poignantly, being reminded that he'd just thrown that much of a precious item away.

"… What!" Rinoa exclaimed in horror, the feeling of guilt quickly taking over her, and she swiftly, if not hastily, placed the small object into his waiting hand with extreme care. "Oh my Hyne. I'm so sorry. Really sorry. It's a really important thing and I just … Hyne!" Her hands shot up to hug her face in shame.

"Thank you." Squall's tone was laced with sarcasm. He rolled his eyes, quickly sliding the recovered accessory onto his right middle finger. He made sure to gyrate the ring so that the lion's head would face outward. It'd been quite a while since he did that. As much as he liked the design, a politician in a vest could only accessorize himself so far. He couldn't even remember when was the last time he'd put on his chained necklace. Squall casted his gaze downwards, observing the detailed engraving between his knuckles. He would never admit how relieved he was to have his ring back.

Rinoa still couldn't believe she had just made a game out of something so important. She felt terrible. If it were her, she would've strangled whoever was playing with her mom's ring.

The boy – Squall gave soft sigh, which was more like a contemptuous snort, and rose to his feet, walking away.

"W-wait." She hurried after him and blocked his path, earning herself another glare. However, she wasn't as scared as earlier. Maybe she was actually getting used to being stabbed by his needlelike gaze. _'Not necessarily a good thing, Rinoa. That's just you getting more and more thick-skinned.' _She mocked herself.

"Squall … I'm sorry. I really am thankful that you found my ring for me." Rinoa said, pausing for a millisecond before she continued. "It's a memento also, so I-"

"I don't want to hear it." He interrupted coldly, crossing his arms and looking away.

"…" She couldn't really say she was taken aback by that, a part of her expected him to brush her off. After all, her desperate attempts were making it painfully obvious that she was trying to prolong their conversation, if you could call the maladroit communication between them up until now that. Rinoa might've said she didn't want to have anything to do with him, but it wasn't like she hadn't the least bit interest in him. To be honest, there was something mysterious and cryptic about him, and it made her curious. Just, for some reason, she felt that she _had _to break his colossus ice wall. It was her very essence telling her to do so. "… I'm just saying-"

"Save it for someone who cares." Squall growled, not hiding his distaste for anything the girl might've had in mind. He could see it in her poorly concealed demeanor. She was asking for something from him, and whatever it was, Squall had no intention to give it. "_You_ found _my _ring, we're even. You and I have no more business." Squall inwardly winced. They did have business concerning each other, or to be more precise, she was going to be his business after the General would introduce them tomorrow. Nevertheless, he shrugged of his hesitance and walked around her to continue his trek.

Much to his disgruntlement, he was abruptly held back by the arm.

"What?" His words were delivered over his shoulders along with an electrifying blue gaze.

Rinoa stared straight back at him. He was threatening, sure, but she wouldn't back down this time. His words simply rubbed her the wrong way. "What's with you? You talk as if I found your ring just to pay you back."

"Isn't that it?" He glowered.

Rinoa's mouth flew open, but not a sound came out. She was shocked beyond words. She didn't think he would confirm her accusation; _normal _people wouldn't have. His condescending attitude gave her the feeling he was insulting her very morality. She felt the blood rush to her face and her breathing quickened.

She froze, eyes widening.

Alarms blared out in her mind as her chest suddenly tightened, and she inevitably lean over to contain the discomfort. _'No, no, Rinoa, calm down.' _She told herself.

"_Now, Rinoa. I want you to keep this in mind." _A blonde's voice echoed in her mind.

The girl's grip on his elbow loosened. Squall twisted his brows in confusion as she bent down, gasping, her shoulder rising and falling in a hurried beat. _'What the?' _He subconsciously brought his hands up to steady her. As he wrapped his fingers around her shoulders, he was startled by how small she was. Shaking out of his thoughts, he lowered his head in an attempt to see her face.

She was sweating slightly, tiny beads were dotting her forehead.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He inquired.

No answer was given. The girl kept on inhaling and exhaling, seemingly finding the simple routine difficult. However, before he could worry further, her torso slowly stilled as her breathing eased. Her squeezed eyes fluttered open, and she raised her brows to look up at him; a weak smile was visible on her lips. "Oh, so Mr. I-don't-want-to-hear-it actually cares." She said breathlessly.

Squall's eyes narrowed angrily. He swiftly released the black-haired girl and stepped back. _'Was she playing with me?' _That sure taught him to think twice about showing concern.

"Hey, no, no." Rinoa hastily held hands out to him. "I'm not playing with you, if that's what you're thinking. Alright? That was actually my illness, haha, silly old me."

"Whatever." Squall muttered, turning to leave.

"Wait, wait." She chased after him and stood in his way again. "You know what, two can play that game. Fine, so I repaid you about my ring, but I still haven't thanked you for yesterday. I still owe you."

Squall's pupils dilated in surprise. Was she actually thanking _him, _of all people, about yesterday? _Owe? _He looked at her, searching for any sign of her bluffing but could find none. What was going on in her head? He couldn't deny the unease he was facing with the sudden loss of insight to the girl's intention. How she was giggling and talking as if their distasteful exchanges just now never happened was beyond him.

He hid his perplexity under a cool mask, an incomprehensible part of him was set on wiping the smile off her face. After taking a moment to think, he then raised one brow with a look of disdain. "You mean how I gave you the chance to 'revise' your denial?"

There was a short pause, before her smile resumed. "Ah, yeah. That too."

To say Squall was weirded out would be an understatement. He could feel his composure faltering. Had her screws finally fallen out?

"You seem to be in high spirits." He refused to relent. "How are you tricking yourself now?"

Rinoa opened her mouth, about to engage in verbal combat, but stopped. _'Stay calm. Just stay calm.' _She should've known this would happen. This guy wouldn't hesitate to say cruel things to rile her up. She wouldn't let him have that pleasure. Rinoa lowered her head, her hand finding the ring's security.

Last night, when she had just recovered from the acute attack, Quistis had held Rinoa in her arms. Rinoa had cried a lot as she recalled what the boy had said to her. It had angered her that he was … right. She just hadn't wanted to accept that her illness was something more complicated and deadly. However, the attack had opened her eyes. She'd realized that there'd been something very wrong. Everything had been so vivid and clear; how hard it'd been to take a simple breath, how her lungs had gurgled. It would have been good had she passed out, but no. As her body had slowly shut down from lack of oxygen, her awareness had only heightened. Death had coiled around her; it'd been too frightening – still was.

She didn't want to experience it again. And she knew how.

"_Now, Rinoa. I want you to keep this in mind."_

Rinoa looked up at the boy, smiling faintly. "I'm not, thanks to you." She answered; a part of her was enjoying his stunned expression. His heartless words had nearly sent her to an early grave, but she'd made it through and consequentially come to accept her condition. "Thanks for making me face reality … and also, for the frog." She added. "It was poisonous, wasn't it?"

His face fell, which was quite contradictious to how people would normally react in this situation. Looking at his wary face, she felt another urge to giggle. If he'd wanted to prevent her from touching the amphibian, he should've just said so. What an awkward guy.

"You practically saved my life." She clasped her hands behind her back and smiled. "You're nicer than you make yourself to be, aren't you?"

Squall's jaw hardened as he averted his gaze. He unconsciously balled his fists. Being unraveled by a stranger whom he'd thought pathetic, rather than chagrin, he felt ire. What was with those glittery eyes? Where was the girl from yesterday?

How could she still be smiling?

He was suddenly struck by a sense of defeat. The pathetic one was him, he felt so inferior compared to her.

How could she still be smiling when she was also … going to die?

Squall mentally shook himself, he didn't want to think any further. He looked at her, absentmindedly mulling. It seemed he wouldn't be able to wipe that inane expression off her face now. _'…'_ He narrowed his eyes, realizing something. It wasn't like he should be provoking the General's daughter anyway.

"… Think what you want." Squall said coolly. That was the best reply possible. Attempting to deny now would be lame and ineffective. "Just leave me alone." _'My head hurts more just from dealing with you.'_

The girl beamed, grabbing his wrist. "Care to sit down with me?" She pointed at the grass bed as if oblivious to his words.

'_This girl …' _Squall growled under his breath, brusquely freeing his arm from her clutch. Why was this happening? After last night's event, he'd imagine she wouldn't even want to touch him with a ten-foot pole.

It didn't matter, the important thing was that he didn't want to be near her a minute longer.

He reached out a hand, and she jolted; one foot was immediately placed slightly behind the other, fidgeting. Apprehension was mixed with disconcertment in her eyes as they darted in place. Obviously, she was frantically deciding whether or not should she act brave and stay still.

Squall hid a smirk, pleased to know he still had at least that much influence over her nerves.

There was a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and Rinoa might just be tipping towards the latter. He had such an enigmatic expression on his face that she couldn't read, and she feared he'd finally snapped. However, she refused to lose. She braced herself for anything he could do to her, be it a slap or a punch. It wasn't like- His hand neared and she found her determination wavered. Okay, she was afraid after all. She tried to lean away from his approaching hand, but without moving from her spot, her effort didn't prove much use.

Rinoa inevitably flinched, her head sinking between her shoulders, when his hand slowly came into contact with the bare skin of her bicep. _'Oh,' _she eased down upon confirming she wasn't going to be hit.

His hand was almost burning on her skin, which was cold from the chilly wind. He pushed her to a side gently, but _surely._ She dumbly let herself be coerced, stumping along with his guidance, not having the time to comprehend his course of action as her eyes had met his. Piercing stormy grey gazed down at her calmly, yet sending a firm warning. The scar between his eyes made his presence all the more oppressing.

His hold on her tightened in the slightest. He breathed out swiftly as he towered over her.

"Do not bother me again."

There was a short pause whereas he kept staring at her, as though he was waiting for her retort; or rather, waiting _to _see if she dared to have any retort. Seemingly satisfied with something he saw, he released his grip on her and sauntered his way back into the hospital building.

Rinoa was left behind in the quiet garden, watching his retreating back. The wind picked up gently, making the locks of her hair tickle her face; it woke her out of her daze. She let go of a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and worked her stiff joints, her eyes still fixated at the threshold where the brunette had disappeared through.

'_Living like that's __**definitely **__tiring. Sucks for you, meanie.' _She huffed and stuck her tongue out at the threshold. A few seconds later, she came to realize how stupid and childish it was to be taunting an inanimate structure and stopped.

This was not over. He, well, seemed to be aggravated, so she'd let him off for tonight. Yeah … That was it.

Suddenly, her knees felt like jelly. Rinoa nodded her head, raising her eyebrows understandingly and shrugging. It couldn't be helped, then. She stepped back onto the grass and eyed the threshold for the last time before sagging to the ground. She whimpered, tapping on her thumping heart soothingly.

'_He's scary after all.'_

* * *

><p>"What?" She made a face.<p>

Laguna and her dad had suddenly turned up in front of her room's door, looking worn out from a day at work with their suits and ties slightly disheveled. Then the crashing news had come that she was to pack up and leave for Balamb, never to return until _I-don't-know. Now, _as much as she liked the countryside, as much as she'd liked some time away from stifling Deling – or _Caraway, _as the man himself had corrected her, moving to Balamb for an indefinite amount of time was utterly ridiculous. She had spent her entire life here, yet he was dead set on sending her to a foreign land, supposedly for her own good? She had been fine for a year with her illness, polluted city or not, the attacks still came and she still lived. Why couldn't _he_ seem to get that?

"Everything has already been decided, Rinoa." Her dad said sternly, shaking his head.

"Well, since when has everything _not_ been decided before I get to hear about it?" She quipped accusingly. "Dad, I have school."

"Since when have _you _been so studious?" The man snapped back. "I've already filed your leave. You're departing for Balamb, that's final."

"That's unfair. I have a life here. You-" Rinoa fumed, but stopped as soon as she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. The dainty hand belonged to Quistis, who was silently reminding the girl.

Rinoa settled down, puffing out her cheeks. She flopped down on her bed, trying to ignore her daddy's gaze, which was threatening to burn a whole through her cheekbone. She understood she should be keeping her cool, and her respect to the man at that, but this was _so_ hard. It was practically impossible to communicate with this man she called father without everything escalating into a shouting match. He didn't understand her, and he wasn't even trying to. Always 'Do this' and 'Be that', could he be anymore of a control freak?

"General, must I remind you?" Quistis coughed, fixing her white coat.

"No need." Fury removed his hands from his pockets, bringing one up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He heaved a sigh and decided to observe the scene outside the window to cool down.

Everyone was immersed in their own thinking, staying as still as statues. There was a pin-drop silence in the room, with only the air conditioner whirring to tell her time hadn't stopped in its track.

Rinoa had mixed feelings about going to Balamb. As stated, she'd loved the clean air the small country had to offer, and not going to school was something every teenager dreamed of. She didn't think she was _that _aggravated by the news – this would be like an extension to her summer vacation. But if he thought she'd just nod and comply, he was dead wrong. Was it so hard to ask her, or even inform her before deciding? It wasn't much, but at least give her the feeling that she had had _some _part in the decision. In a way, she guessed her resistance was just to raise a problem, just to disgruntle her dad. She didn't want to let him jerk her around.

And didn't this mean that she wouldn't be able to meet Squall again? Well, gee, that would be one tender stroke to his ego. The bum would surely think his threat was _all that_ when he realized she really wasn't 'bothering' him anymore.

"Rinoa." Laguna was the first one to break the silence as he sat down besides her.

It had been a long time since she'd last seen Laguna, and with her fuzzy memory, she remembered the longhaired man as an easy-going and bubbly person. He was the President of Esthar, and well, she _still _couldn't believe that was true. As years had passed, she'd begun wondering if her daddy had only been joking when he introduced Laguna. After all, Laguna was a tad too happy-go-lucky for his position. Nonetheless, the President of Esthar was he. Although his charming countenance had been slightly toned down by his age, it didn't seemed to affect his exuberant characteristics in the least.

"Yeah?" Rinoa acknowledged him bashfully, tilting her head. She recalled the two of them being good friend during the short time the man had stayed in her mansion, and it made her feel bad for making him witness the scene with her dad. She was never proud of her rebellious attitude.

"Here." He slid a piece of mint candy into her hand. It was obviously taken from Field's receptionist table. "Feel free to eat it."

She gave him a sort of a smile. Rinoa appreciated his action, but why did she feel he was treating her _exactly_ like he had ten years ago?

"You know, in Esthar, there's a thing called 'gap-year'." Laguna began, holding up his forefinger.

"Gap year?" Rinoa followed up absentmindedly as she popped the candy into her mouth. The taste was a little strong for her liking, but it'd do.

"Yup," the man nodded excitedly. "High school graduates have the option to take it instead of starting college … Well, actually, high schoolers in general randomly take it as they like when they get tired of studying."

"Wow, that's kinda … carefree. Won't that be a problem?" She questioned, a bit intrigued by the topic. "I mean, they'll fall behind."

"Pshh, that's their choice." Laguna waved his hand, but at her look, he shrugged. "Hey, they get some time to release steam and think, and stuff. _Plus_," he suddenly bent down to her eye-level with a serious look. "They'll learn something _very_ important."

"… What?"

"That life's utterly boring when all you do is play." The man grinned.

Rinoa frowned. Why would life be boring if you got to play all you want? It wasn't like you'd be doing same thing everyday. She would want to play her heart out for a year, or maybe even two, if that was possible. Each day would be filled with fun. She'd get to do all the things she liked without having to worry about school work and deadlines.

"I spy an unconvicted teenage girl." Laguna said with a knowing smile. "Don't believe uncle Laguna?"

'… _I think he meant unconvinced.' _Rinoa swiftly thought."I guess, it's kinda hard to." She answered honestly, seeing where this conversation was leading to. "You're gonna tell me to try the gap year thingy now, aren't you?" When the man nodded, she continued. "As tempting as that sounds, I can't, Laguna. Galbadia doesn't have that, and I still fear for my report."

"Oh? But you forget who's the new ruler." Laguna retorted smugly, putting a finger to his lips.

Rinoa was momentarily speechless, opening her mouth but not managing a sound. Since long before, she had tried to live a life of a normal teenager, one that didn't have a military general as a father, going as far as changing her last name to her mom's. Thus, from time to time, she tended to forget how easy things could be for her. She had no intention to be daddy's little girl though. Books and movies had taught her much could befall rich spoiled kids. Even if the full brunt of life occasionally got her in the face, she never regretted denying her privileges, it let her learn to appreciate the good things.

Turning to her dad, who'd been listening to their conversation from the window and catching the man's gaze, Laguna asked. "Fury, aren't the new policies getting announced soon?"

"… You're just trying to dabble into my country's managing, aren't you?" Her dad gave a short breath.

"Am I?" The longhaired man smiled innocently. "I'm just displeased with Galbadian education."

"You grew up with that education."

"Precisely why Esthar's is different."

Rinoa's eyes narrowed. Why did she feel that the short conversation should've been more serious?

"Tell you what, Rinoa." Laguna turned back to her. "If Fury won't do anything about it, you're welcome to school in Esthar. We welcome gap-year takers. They have more purpose than others."

"I didn't say I won't," Fury hurriedly said, furrowing his brows. His time with his daughter was already insufficient as it was – he wouldn't have her studying abroad for the rest of her high school life, in which he doubted she'd care to come back for a visit. He was well aware of Laguna's history with his wife while Rinoa very much resembled her mother. The Julia in her had immediately made Laguna grow attached. This wasn't as bad as it sounded as Laguna had shown nothing but unadulterated paternal affection towards his daughter. However, _that _was the problem. _He_ was the father, not Laguna, so why did it feel like Rinoa would prefer otherwise? And Laguna appeared to be quite eager to take the position from him, too. Letting her study abroad in Esthar, thus letting her bond even more with the other man? A definite no.

"See? You don't have anything to worry about." He watched as his Estharian friend said to his girl.

If he said he wasn't the least bit jealous of Laguna, he would be lying. That man had a way of getting along with people, was able to make his defiant daughter open up to him way too easily, and she hadn't seen the man in _ten _years. He saw her every weekend, but they hardly talked, and if they did, it would never end on a happy note. Fury contained a frustrated groan and looked away from the exchanges the two were having. Noticing the blonde doctor approaching him, he raised a questioning brow. The young woman had been staying in utter quietness that he had forgotten about her presence in the room.

"Now, I believe we have a bet?" Laguna asked with a hint of deviousness.

"He~h, fine." Rinoa drawled. She could see the challenge in his eyes; it was on. "I bet I'll have fun everyday."

"I highly doubt that." He crossed his arms smugly. "Only the first few weeks at _most._ If I'm right, you'll have to marry my son."

Rinoa stilled for a moment, recalling Laguna telling her about a son he utterly doted on. She wasn't sure she'd want to marry a pampered, possibly snobbish, jerk. At her nonresponsive expression, Laguna added. "He's _really _handsome, I assure, beautiful piece of art just like his mother was. If I were a girl and a few decades younger, I'd fall in love with him anytime."

She kept a rigid smile on her face, not sure how she could comment on that without sounding sarcastic. Considering how handsome Laguna was and the rumored beauty that was his deceased wife, if the son inherited from both of them, he must be quite a sight. However, she was more concerned about whether the boy in question was any good aside from his pretty face.

"If I win?" Knowing nothing better to say, she gave a sort of consent, but not really, to the man's condition.

"My son will marry you." Laguna answered naturally.

Her eyebrows twisted. So either way, she was bound to wed his son?

"Haha, I'm just kidding. Don't be so tense." The man held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Though I'd love a daughter-in-law as cute as you, I would never force your hand. If you win, I owe you a favor. If I win, then …" He paused, then pointed at his cheek. "Maybe a kiss as thanks to this old man?"

"Deal." She said, giggling. She still remembered the good fun she'd had after she'd gotten acquainted with the man. That lovable amicability of him hadn't changed at all.

They participated in a vigorous shake to seal the verbal contract, after which, Laguna kept hold of her hand. She took notice of his smiling expression waning, it affected her own mood and she couldn't help but raise her brows questioningly at him.

"You know," Laguna started with a ghost of conflict in his eyes, slowly releasing her hand. "The reason I mentioned my son is that he's also going to Balamb with you. I hope you can be good friends with him."

Her eyes widened. That was quite unexpected. She'd been convinced she'd never ever meet this so-called perfect son he'd practically sung about. After all, he'd promised to introduce them sometimes, only to fall out of touch for ten long years. Despite her sardonic thought earlier, Rinoa wouldn't deny that she was curious as to how this son would actually turn out to be. If the boy was anything like his father, she would love to befriend him.

"Sure, why not." Rinoa answered, not understanding why the need for such a solemn atmosphere.

"Ah, well. I'm just saying …" The man let out something between a laugh and a cough, scratching the back of his head. "He might be a bit. Of a tough nut to crack. You try your best, okay?" He held out his hand, making a pinching gesture to indicate tininess.

Okay, was it just her or had Laguna had a particular pause in the sentence referring to his son. She had a bad feeling about this.

Before Rinoa could put another thought on the matter, the door suddenly swished open, revealing a blonde roommate of hers standing in the doorway. All eyes inside fell onto the newcomer, inducing a slightly shaken look on her face. Rinoa noted that the blonde had also changed to normal clothing, opting for brown pants and a cream-colored turtleneck. It was a bit hot for a turtleneck, but the girl's pallid skin made it seem appropriate to wear such.

"Oh, sorry. Did I come at a bad time?" Celeste asked sheepishly. "I couldn't knock so …" She pointed at the white metal door, which would open without fail as soon as the sensor was triggered. Surely, the automatic creation was never meant for tact.

"Oh no, not at all." Quistis hastily assured the younger blonde, who looked ready to to scuttle away any moment. The Galbadian General besides her was the very reason for the girl's timidity. The man had been glaring daggers at anything and everything he laid his eyes on ever since the verbal fight with his daughter.

"Hey, Ciel. Come right in." Rinoa beckoned her friend. "It's alright."

"Okay, so, erm." Celeste seemed troubled, twiddling her fingers. Her blue gaze darted around the room, registering the faces inside as she joined the space. "Well, I s-suppose you two must be … Fury Caraway and Laguna Loire." She eyed the two men respectively, receiving confirming nods from them. "I'm Celeste Skyweaver, Rinoa's roommate, pleased to make your acquaintance." The girl gave a small bow.

"Pleasure's all mine." Laguna saluted with a smile.

"Likewise." The General only nodded again.

"Well," the blonde hesitated, looking very uncomfortable for some reason. She seemed nervous and out of it, making Rinoa wonder if she was merely unsettled by the two enormous figurers or something was going on. Celeste motioned outside almost shakily as she breathed. "H-he's here and … Have you've heard everything from Qui- Dr. Trepe?"

"Yes, I have." Her dad answered, earning curious looks from her and Laguna. The man paid no mind to it, only staring back at them calmly.

"Heard what?" Laguna tilted his head, as confused as her. The question was directed at the blonde stranger as he slid off the bed.

"Yeah, and who's 'he'?" Rinoa added, climbing down from the bed and strode up to her friend. "Ciel? You're kinda pale. Is everything okay?" She tapped Celeste's arm, slightly concerned.

"Sorry sir, I almost forgot so I've only managed to tell the General about it." Rinoa heard Quistis talking to someone, most probably Laguna, behind her. "We're a bit short on time so I suggest we get going. I shall explain along the way." She turned around to see Laguna nodding in consent and the three adults headed for the door in a hurried clip. As they passed the two young girls, Quistis said. "Celeste, you don't have to come if you don't want to. You can stay and keep Rinoa company."

Celeste nodded wordlessly, and Rinoa couldn't contain her curiosity. "What's going on?"

The three grownups gave her a glance, but Quistis only spoke apologetically. "I'm afraid we can't talk now, Rinoa." The woman patted her head. "Just be good and stay with Celeste, okay?"

Before Rinoa could retort, she felt a squeeze around her fingers and looked down to find her hand in Celeste's. The older girl simply pulled her to the bed with an expression that made it impossible to refuse. After the door had opened and closed, the heavy silence that went on for minutes in the room was almost unbearable. Rinoa wasn't one to sit still, but she didn't think it was right to say anything either. So she was stuck accompanying an out of character Celeste.

"Rinoa," finally, to Rinoa's relief, the other girl spoke up with a happy face. It looked forced, but she was sure this was better than the blonde brooding; better for now at least. Celeste took Rinoa's hands in her own and started. "You're going to Balamb tomorrow, right?" At her nod, the girl continued. "If nothing goes wrong, I'll be coming with you!"

Rinoa's mouth practically fell open. She was surprised beyond description. Just how many more people were tagging along? Not that she minded, she was just … _surprised. _She had expected that they would part ways after either one of them would get discharged, and would bump into each other here and there if they got lucky. She never would have thought that Celeste would be showing up in her life much more than that.

"Oh, are you uncomfortable about it?" Celeste mindfully asked, raising her brows and shrinking away like an abandoned puppy would.

"No, no, no." Rinoa waved her hand in a hurry. "I'm just surprised is all. I'd love to go with you. It'll be like a vacation."

"Thanks." The blonde girl beamed, seemingly had regain her spirit. "We should go exploring there. I heard there are very safe woods there." There was a pause where Rinoa considered asking about the prior events, but Celeste was faster. "Hey, can I sleep with you again tonight?"

"Sure." Was the immediate answer. Rinoa had never slept with anyone other than her mom, and she'd very much welcomed the nostalgic warmth of yesterday sleep-together.

"Great!" The other girl tackled her down onto the soft mattress, giggling. "Let's talk boys. I'll tell you how I met my boyfriend."

Oh dear, Rinoa feared she hadn't much to contribute to this topic. However, she decided to just go along with it for now, whatever that would cheer Celeste up. Moreover, Rinoa couldn't say she wasn't interested, after all, "You have a boyfriend?" She raised her voice a little louder than she intended to. She didn't think the blonde would have one, but then again, someone as beautiful as Celeste would certainly have one. It was kind of complicated, Celeste was the type to look like she would have a man, but at the same time no one. Okay, Rinoa wasn't even sure she fully understood that.

"Yup, he was really sweet." Celeste swooned as she propped the upper half of her body up with her elbows. "Kind, caring. And he's _really _handsome_._"

Wait. _Was? _Rinoa blinked, observing her friend happily chatting away. _'She must have misspoke.' _She concluded and kept on listening to the story being told.

"We were strangers who bumped into each other thrice, and you know what they say, third time's a charm. You're practically fated if you bump into each other thrice." Celeste rolled onto her back, brushing long strands of hair away from her face. "We really hit it off after the third time. He was so considerate of everything, it was hard not to fall for him …"

As she listened, Rinoa's thoughts kept drifting back to the aloof brunette she had owed her life to. It would have been nice if the guy had been just a little bit more friendly. She felt that he was trying to avoid her like she was a plague. Well, she was leaving for Balamb anyway. A pity, but good bye, Squall.

* * *

><p>The two of them had overslept and were late for their departure. They only had the time to clean themselves up, but Celeste had insisted that her turtleneck was too hot for the morning sun.<p>

"You go first, Rinoa. I really need to change." The blonde had waved her off and locked herself in the bathroom.

So, here Rinoa was, walking down the corridor leading to Field's car park alone, her almost empty backpack heavy on her shoulders. She was going to become a gap-year taker, and well, the more responsible side of her was second-guessing her decision. Would she be able to pick up her studying when she got back? She had heard that the next grade relied greatly on the previous year's knowledge, and she doubted she would be able to remember anything at all after her gap year, or _years_.

Around the corner, she bumped straight into someone. Rinoa brought a hand up to her face, staggering backward. "Sorry, I was deep in thought so …" He, because the person had a flat chest, was taller than her so she had to crane her neck to meet his eyes. Her own pair went wide as she realized who it was.

"Squall!" She gasped, not really knowing much else to say while wanting to voice her astonishment. Although she had been set on 'bothering' him again, she'd never intended for it to be so soon, and she wanted to make sure he knew that.

The boy's eyes narrowed in annoyance, no surprise at that, but he said something confusing. "Where's the other one?" Placing a hand onto his hip, he quirking one eyebrow expectantly as if she was supposed to understand what he meant.

"Wha-"

"Whatever." Before she could input two gil of her thoughts, he dismissed her with a sigh and turned around, going back in the direction where she believed he'd came from.

Still as rude as ever. _'Well, it's not like people change over night.'_ Rinoa pouted, trying to organize her priorities. She didn't want to make his impression on her any worse than it already was. If this was going to be the last time she'd ever see her lifesaver again, she wanted it to be a good memory. Her mind flickered back to talk she'd had with Celeste yesterday, and she couldn't help but smile. If the third time really was a charm, was it okay for her to think that maybe they were fated, her and Squall? This _was_ their third coincidental meeting after all. Rinoa quickly shook herself out of her daydream when she heard rapid footsteps echoing from behind her.

"Oh, Rinoa, I caught up to you!" Celeste showed up next to her, panting slightly. The blonde had changed into a tank top like Rinoa's, only that it was green.

Rinoa could see from the corner of her eyes that Squall had stopped to turn and look at them. She hoped they weren't 'bothering' him, however he defined that word. Keeping to herself as much as she could, the girl walked with Celeste after him, hoping it wouldn't piss him off. She, or rather _they_ couldn't help following him. He _was _going in the direction they were supposed to, with a relatively same hurried speed too. A part of her was thankful though, if their fast pace brought her right past him, she would lose her chance to speak with him.

Well, she could say something now, but she wasn't sure what to say exactly. They were barely acquaintances and she wasn't really in the position to bid him farewell before leaving for Hyne-knows how long.

With everything that was swirling in her head, Rinoa found it surprising she managed to keep up with her blonde friend as they half-raced down the corridor; even more so when she realized Squall was actually still ahead of them.

Arriving in the car park, Rinoa immediately spotted her daddy's black car, next to which was the man himself and Laguna waiting for them. Celeste strode past the brunette in front, quickly approaching the two men and bowing the moment she was in speaking distance, probably apologizing for her lateness. The two men, dressed in casual clothes, waved their hands as they assure the girl it was fine.

As for Rinoa, she wasn't so keen on joining the crowd yet. She eyed the boy's back warily, searching for the courage to call out to him. She understood that the more she hesitated, the less time, and even chance, there would be for her to get a word over to him. But what exactly should she say?

'Hi, I know I said I will pay you back for saving my life and all but I'm gonna have to leave overseas for a while, maybe a few years. I'll try to go back as soon as I can, and _if _you haven't died from your illness _and_ I can find you amongst the millions of citizens of Galbadia, I'll definitely fulfill my words. Bye!'?

She definitely didn't see herself saying that. _'Oh, come __**on, **__Rinoa. Say something! Even if he sees you as an idiot, it's unlikely he'll ever meet you again.' _Rinoa told herself, aggravated. The car was getting closer and Squall … wasn't … leaving. She drew her brows together upon realizing that. Not only was he not showing any sign of parting ways with her, he was headed straight for the car!

Confusion numbed her mind. She couldn't really think up a feasible explanation for what was happening, only following Squall to the car in what felt like a daze. As they walked into hearing range with the other three, gazes turned to acknowledge them.

Laguna, who was leaning against the car, stood straight up and saluted them. "Yo, Rinoa." He said to her, then turned to Squall who now had slowed down, walking next to her. "Looks like you didn't have to go very far, son. I told you they'd come soon enough."

'_What?'_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I do realize this is more like a rant, which is why it's here at the end, to give you guys the option of not reading it at all. Sooo … I was sure I had something to say here, I can't seem to recall what it was though. Hmmm. Oh! The longness (yes, it's not a word) has returned. And to think I thought I've managed to reduce the word count after that last chapter ending at 8k words.

Well, maybe I'll fix this longwinded habit in the next story. Yes, the next _story. _It's too late to fix it in this one now.

**Rinoa: Come on, do something about it. Like this, you're taking way too long to update.**

It's not like I have a choice. Do you want me to make it simple? Alright, simply, you were unhinged up there. Or, like Alex's said "a bit woo-hoo!" How do you have a soft spot for someone who's nearly gotten you killed.

**Rinoa: I- I don't! I find Squall mysterious, that's all. And I don't care what you or your friend think, it's your idea! _You're _unhinged.**

Well … yeah, I've always been unhinged, haven't you noticed?

**Squall: (…!)**

**Rinoa: You're impossible! *turns to the screen* Everyone, there's a really good explanation for my behavior, which I can't say for now. I'm not unhinged! Remember that!**

Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say. Have you ever seen anyone in a mental hospital admit that they're ... mental?

**Rinoa: U…! Y-You … _meanie! _Squall~~_  
><em>**

**Squall: Rinoa, don't sweat it, she just likes to say mean things to get people worked up.**

I thought you were the one doing that! You refuse to use her name at all, even in your narrations.

**Squall: *sighs* (I'm not gonna waste my time arguing.) *leads an upset Rinoa away***

H-hey, you're ignoring me now? … *silence ensues* Oh joy, they're gone. Even my own imagination neglects me … I'm lonely.

Anyways, all jokes aside, thanks for reading till the end. I do realize sometimes(most of the time), the humor in these rants aren't very good. Well, there's only so many things I can poke fun of. Sarcasm can only go so far. If you do think Rinoa is unhinged even for a moment then I've done my part well enough.

Good day to you all. Let's see how long it'll take until I update again.


End file.
